Can intra-individual trait variation alleviate climate change effects on crops? (CropsInVar)
Name of applicant
Charlotte Møller
Title
Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution
University of Helsinki
Amount
DKK 1,931,000
Year
2024
Type of grant
Reintegration Fellowships
What?
Crops have historically been bred towards high yield optimization and synchronized harvesting, but as a result, this has reduced variation within populations and compromised resilience to climate change. Intra-individual variation (IIV), the variation within modular structures of a single individual, may offer an overlooked solution for improving crop adaptability to environmental stressors.
Why?
IIV shows promise in enhancing climate change resilience by providing the necessary building blocks for enabling adaptive responses. By promoting higher levels of IIV in modern crop varieties, individuals could have a better chance at withstanding climate change, stabilizing yields and reducing losses.
How?
I will grow barley, pea, and spinach under simulated future climatic conditions. By comparing wild progenitors, landraces, and modern varieties, I aim to assess the role of IIV in key growth and regeneration traits. I will investigate whether higher IIV improves yield and resilience under a stressful environment and explore potential trade-offs between the two.