Radish growth in alternate climate models

Abstract

Considering the core of the human food source is plants, it is important to take into account the International Panel on Climate Change's models for future climatic scenarios in terms of future crop success. To test different climate scenarios predicted by the IPCC, radishes were planted in eight different climate treatments, one of them being the current climate conditions, and analyzed for differences in length and mass of the root and shoots of the plants. The climatic variables that were manipulated were temperature, precipitation patterns, and soil nutrient content. It was shown that temperature has a statistically significant impact on below ground mass and length in treatments with no nutrients added. The root to shoot mass ratio for treatments without nutrients was statistically significantly larger in the current average temperature for the region than the elevated temperatures for the region predicted by the IPCC. This study highlights the importance of agricultural studies for future climatic situations if changes follow the models predicted by the IPCC to avoid mass crop failure and starvation among people.