IAEA Launches Global Research Drive to Boost Climate-Resilient and Nutritious Crops

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), through its Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, is calling on research institutions worldwide to participate in a new Coordinated Research Project (CRP) that focuses on improving the resilience and nutritional quality of key crops. The initiative targets cassava, taro, citrus and avocado—vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs) that are essential for global food security but face mounting climate and nutritional challenges.

Climate and Nutrition Challenges

Climate change poses one of the greatest threats to global food security. Shifts in weather patterns, rising temperatures, droughts, floods, pest outbreaks and soil degradation all contribute to declining crop yields and threaten the nutritional supply of millions. Vegetatively propagated crops, while essential to food systems, are particularly vulnerable because of their genetic uniformity, which leaves them prone to disease epidemics and environmental stress.

Crops like cassava and taro are staple foods for smallholder farmers across Africa, Asia and Latin America, while citrus and avocado are crucial for both nutrition and agricultural economies. Yet, all four crops have limited breeding advancements compared to seed-grown crops. This lack of progress has restricted their adaptability to evolving climate conditions and their potential to provide more nutritious diets.

Research Focus of the CRP

The CRP, titled “Building Resilience to Climate Change: Enhancing Biodiversity in Annual and Perennial Crops with Nuclear Innovations”, will harness nuclear and related technologies to enhance the genetic diversity, resilience and quality of these crops. The program focuses on four key areas:

• Inducing genetic diversity through nuclear-based mutation techniques.

• Developing micropropagation methods to multiply improved plant lines.

• Applying rapid generation advance (RGA) strategies to shorten breeding cycles.

• Using advanced phenotyping and nutritional screening tools to identify superior varieties.

Mutation breeding, which has been instrumental in improving seed-grown crops, will now be extended to VPCs using in vitro cultured clones. This innovative approach broadens the genetic pool of crops like cassava, taro, citrus and avocado, providing opportunities for greater resilience and nutritional value.

Innovative Approaches in Breeding

One of the biggest hurdles in VPC improvement is the long breeding cycle and poor flowering behavior in crops such as cassava, taro, citrus and avocado. The CRP aims to tackle this with Rapid Generation Advance (RGA), a method that accelerates plant breeding by modifying growth conditions, including light, temperature and nutrition, to promote early and synchronized flowering.

For taro and cassava, which suffer from inconsistent flowering, combining RGA with induced mutations will create diverse plant populations for breeding. In perennial crops like citrus and avocado, where long juvenile phases and complex flowering hinder progress, RGA techniques will significantly shorten breeding times, making improved varieties available more quickly.

Enhancing Nutritional Value

The CRP will also prioritize nutritional profiling to enhance dietary benefits. Cassava, for instance, is a major carbohydrate source but lacks sufficient micronutrients. Efforts will focus on reducing harmful cyanogenic compounds and increasing carotenoid content to boost its nutritional value. Taro, though rich in energy and micronutrients, often contains calcium oxalate crystals that limit consumption—research will work toward reducing these compounds.

For citrus fruits, improving resilience against pests and diseases while boosting vitamin content is a dual priority. Meanwhile, avocado improvement will address its vulnerability to water and salinity stress while enhancing fruit quality for global markets.

New technologies like near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and other advanced imaging tools will allow researchers to rapidly and non-destructively assess nutrient content, stress tolerance, and desirable traits across breeding populations.

Target Crops at the Heart of Food Security

• Cassava: A climate-resilient crop vital in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Enhancing its nutritional quality would reduce food insecurity and improve diets.

• Taro: A staple in Sub-Saharan Africa and Pacific islands, taro’s improvement will support vulnerable farmers facing shifting rainfall patterns and pests.

• Citrus: Critical for global diets and economies but highly vulnerable to diseases like citrus greening, as well as environmental stresses.

• Avocado: Increasingly popular worldwide, but with major breeding challenges due to long juvenile periods and pollination inefficiencies.

Research Objectives

The CRP outlines several objectives:

1. Establish and optimize protocols for micropropagation and mutation induction.

2. Develop effective RGA techniques to shorten breeding cycles.

3. Create protocols to screen for stress tolerance (drought, salinity, pests).

4. Improve nutritional screening methods to enhance quality traits.

These objectives align with the FAO and IAEA’s broader mission to apply nuclear science and biotechnology in solving pressing agricultural challenges.

Call for Participation

The IAEA will award up to 15 technical and research contracts, ensuring that each research objective is covered by at least two institutions. Priority will be given to proposals addressing multiple objectives.

Interested research institutes must submit their Proposals for Research Contracts or Agreements by 15 September 2025 to the IAEA’s Research Contracts Administration Section, using the templates available on the CRA website.

The IAEA strongly encourages applications from developing countries and promotes gender equality in science and research.

Toward Resilient and Nutritious Food Systems

By accelerating breeding cycles, enhancing genetic diversity, and improving nutritional traits, this CRP has the potential to transform cassava, taro, citrus and avocado cultivation. The project not only strengthens climate resilience but also contributes to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to Zero Hunger, Climate Action, and Good Health and Well-being.

The IAEA’s call represents a critical opportunity for global research institutions to collaborate on creating more resilient, nutritious and sustainable food systems for the future.