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Authored by: cjk fossman on Monday, November 26 2012 @ 11:39 PM EST |
Have you ever been in a really large greenhouse?
Then surely you must have noticed the vents in the roof to
allow excessive heat to escape. You know, the kind of heat
we can expect to see with global warming.
Most of the temperate zone food plants do not produce well
if the temperature exceeds 90 degrees F for extended
periods. The pollen begins to break down at approximately
90 degrees.
Corn, for example, can produce good crops during extended
periods of heat if there is sufficient water. That's
because the ears are fertilized before the long hot spells
set in. Move that hot spell to the period when the corn is
in flower, though, and kiss your corn crop goodbye.
By the way my tomato plants, even the 'heat resistant'
varieties, just stopped setting fruit from mid June to late
July. Why? Too many consecutive days above 90 degrees.
So I guess in your utopian vision of a warmer planet, we'll
all have to develop a taste for taro root. Pass the poi,
please.
Oh, and have you checked out the breeding habits of fish in
warmer water? How about the productivity of dairy cattle in
extreme heat?
You are correct in believing it's hard to grow food when it
gets too cold. Also when it gets too wet and too dry. And
too hot.[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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