The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called for more utilization of existing mature nuclear technology on solving food security problem instead of blindly seeking so-called high-techs, in a report released on Tuesday.
The report said that since the 1920s, scientists have been using radiation to produce improved high-yielding plants that adapt to harsh climate conditions or that are resistant to certain diseases and insect pests. Decades of practice proves that this nuclear crop breeding technique, called mutation induction, is safe, proven and cost-effective.
"The global nature of the food crisis is unprecedented," said Director General of the IAEA Mohamed ElBaradei, cited in the report, so more attention should be paid to the application of science and technology in increasing agricultural output.
Therefore, IAEA calls for increased investment and application in nuclear crop breeding technique so as to increase agricultural output to help "tackle world hunger."
The report pointed out that for decades the IAEA, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has assisted its member states to produce more, better and safer food by using nuclear technology in plant breeding and genetics.
Already more than 3,000 crop varieties have been released through nuclear crop breeding technique so far, which include barley that grows at 5,000 meters and rice that thrives in saline soil. These varieties provide much needed food as well as high economic benefits especially in developing countries.
According to the report, with increased investment and broader application, this technique could have more evident impact on solving global food security problem.
Liang Qu, director of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United State) /IAEA Joint Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture told Xinhua that nuclear crop breeding technique only changes a plant's blueprint at one position by exposure to radiation, creating a variant that is different from the parent plant, and no radioactive traces will be left over.
In addition, unlike genetic modification, which introduces new material from other plants or even other species into a plant's genetic makeup to create new characteristics, this technique simply accelerates the process of spontaneous genetic changes with nuclear radiation. Therefore, it is not producing anything that is not produced by nature itself, but simply speeds up the natural process.
Source:Xinhua
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