Published in ERW, 6 Oct 2014
Russia is producing just half of the amount of wheat it could be, report researchers in Germany and Canada who employed a crop-growth model. The results suggest Russia could get closer to its potential by improving supplies of nutrients and water, and by using crop species that are most resilient to frequent periods of drought.
Population growth, more calorie-rich diets and the increasing use of biofuel have all contributed to a rising global demand for agricultural products. This demand could be met by broadening the extent of cultivated land, but this comes at an environmental cost. […]
The rest of this article is available here.