Question

Fifty years ago, there were several hundred varieties of wheat grown in the Middle East. Now a few of the more modern high responder varieties have replaced the indigenous species. What are the implications of this change?

A.) The high responder varieties will need specialized harvesting methods because they are so productive.
B.) High responder varieties require less water.
C.) Genetic resources are diminished and an epidemic of wheat disease is highly likely due to the reliance on few species.
D.) The biodiversity of wheat species has increased because of the introduction of few hybrid species.
E.) The productivity of wheat should continue to rise and increase the availability of food per person.

Answer 1

The shift to high responder wheat varieties has diminished genetic diversity, increased susceptibility to disease, demanded more agricultural inputs, and made food supply vulnerable to variety failure. Option A.

Step-by-step explanation:

The change from a diverse array of wheat varieties to a few high responder varieties cultivated in the Middle East has several implications.

Firstly, it has led to a significant reduction in genetic diversity, which can make the crop more susceptible to diseases and pests because there is less genetic material available to breed resistance into new varieties.

This is because modern agriculture often involves uniform strains that lack the genetic diversity found in wild relatives, which is essential to maintain resistance.

Secondly, contrary to the potential assumption that high responder varieties may require less water, they often require more input in terms of fertilizers, pesticides, and water to achieve their high yields.

Lastly, while high responder varieties have contributed to increased crop yields, which supports food availability, they also carry the risk of creating a reliance on a small number of crop varieties, making the food supply vulnerable if these varieties were to fail.

So Option A is correct.