Agriculture accounts for about 70% of global freshwater use, and as the population grows, so will demand for water. At the same time, global warming is increasing water loss through evapotranspiration, and intensifying the risk of drought in many regions. This confluence of factors makes it vital to improve the efficiency of irrigation so farmers can produce enough food for the more than 9 million people predicted by 2050, according to a news release issued by the International Potato Center (CIP).
Potato has good potential to help the world meet that challenge, since it produces more calories per liter of water than other major staple crops. Scientists at the International Potato Center (CIP) are trying to enhance that potential through the development of digital tools to optimize the use of water in irrigation.
A team of researchers led by crop ecophysiologist David Ram
