China is the world's largest producer of potatoes, growing roughly 22% of the global supply. Now scientists in the country are raising concerns about the impact climate change will have on this important crop, as rising temperatures could dramatically cut harvest yields.
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00:00This is China's potato-growing region.
00:03The high altitude of the northern provinces of Hebei and Inner Mongolia
00:07provide the ideal cool and dry climate for the crop.
00:10But climate change and shifting weather patterns are putting this all at risk.
00:25To better understand how climate change is impacting the crop,
00:28scientists at China's International Potato Center are conducting tests
00:33in labs equipped with heat chambers,
00:35raising temperatures to expected global warming levels
00:38to monitor changes to crop yields.
00:41And their findings are concerning.
00:59The lab found that the temperature rise sped up the growth process
01:02by more than half the yield.
01:04And with China being the world's largest producer of potatoes,
01:07accounting for nearly a quarter of global production,
01:10this raises concerns for global food security.
01:13Aggravating matters, climate change has also led to the growth of new plant viruses.
01:29For now, scientists say farmers will have to adapt,
01:32planting in the spring instead of the summer,
01:35or moving to even higher altitudes.
01:37While in this lab, they continue to study the effects of global warming on the crop
01:42to potentially find ways to prevent a blight on global agricultural production.
01:47Andy Hsuan, Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.