Breeding Challenges for Species Adaptation in the South of Chile

Climate change has been producing several modifications in agriculture and vegetables production, the Araucanía Region in Chile has not been an exception. During the last fifteen years minimum, maximum and average temperature have increased, however, the rainfall has decreased. Besides, the forecast for the next thirty years is not promissory, the trends are similar in the coming time. These facts have brought changes in crops cultivated areas, decreasing cereals, but increasing orchard fruits and vegetables, due to high temperatures, within others, are favourable for these crops. Agriculture is a climate dependent activity, then both is affected by Climate Change and contributes to Climate Change. In Southern Chile, these changes have produced the rise of new or resistance weeds, pest and diseases in most crops, but notoriously in fresh vegetables. Other crops have suffered insufficient winter chill for vernalization, limiting their production; however, there has been advantages as well, for instance an increase in crop diversity and new crops has been developed. One way to mitigate these changes in climate conditions is the breeding for adaptation, either due to abiotic and biotic stresses. There are several breeding strategies from conventional to transgenic approach, but the aim is to obtain and adapt breeds to changing and new environmental conditions. Other strategy in a breeding program is the use of wild parents as source of new genes resistant to pests and diseases, but it may contribute with rusticity; then new varieties may tolerate thermal and water stress without large losses in the production. Therefore, there is a consequence in plant physiology and morphology that produces increases/decreases in yield and quality products, thus breeding and adapting new varieties tolerant to elevated temperature and water scarcity is a way to mitigate the climate change producing where before it was not possible.