Transcript:
Curry, stir-fry, sushi, jambalaya…anything on the menu tonight, has a good chance of including rice.
Schnürer: “Rice is eaten by many people on the earth.”
Anna Schnürer of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences said that as the population grows, demand for grains is growing.
But producing rice usually emits a lot of methane—a powerful global warming gas.
Methane is produced by microorganisms that thrive in floods of rice cultivation. They break down organic compounds, which are secreted by the root portion of rice plants, and release methane in the process.
So, Schnürer and her team identified a rice variety that naturally produces one of the organic compounds. But this won't produce a big reward.
Schnürer: “We then cross this variety with a high yield commercial variety so that we can get new varieties with high yields and low methane production.”
She said one species they tested produces about 70% less methane.
Schnürer: “It really cuts a lot.”
She hopes in a few years it will be commercially available so farmers can grow more rice for the world without it Cause more climate pollution.
Report Credit: Sarah Kennedy/Chavobart Digital Media
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