JERUSALEM, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Israeli and Palestinian researchers have developed new wheat varieties that can withstand heat and drought better, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) said Wednesday in a statement.
The five-year project, involving HU and the Palestinian Al-Quds Public Health Society in East Jerusalem, aimed to address food production challenges in the warmer, drier Middle East, it said.
Climate change is shortening growing seasons and making rainfall less predictable, increasing pressure on global food crops, it added.
Combining expertise in plant breeding, genetics, and field-testing, the researchers produced a new wheat line, named "Ufuq," that maintains productivity with less water and under harsher conditions caused by climate change, it said, without further elaborating on the line.
Supported by Dutch funding, the project demonstrated how scientific cooperation can continue despite security and political difficulties, it added. ■
