Rice production in Europe, which currently accounts for two-thirds of the rice consumed in the continent, is being threatened by the effects of climate change, as is occurring with other crops. In the Mediterranean area, climate change is leading to an increase in temperatures and more frequent and severe periods of drought, which are harming water quality and river flows. These effects are increasing the salinity of the soil, which has a negative impact on crop productivity. Climate change is also causing the sea level to rise and further increasing salinity in the coastal areas, deltas and river mouths where rice is grown. As a result, it is threatening the very existence of the rice sector in the Mediterranean area.
The NEURICE project (New commercial European RICE) is aiming to obtain new varieties of salt-tolerant rice. Varieties of European rice will thereby be obtained which are suited to the new conditions, thus enabling rice growing to continue without losing productivity and maintaining the positive environmental, scenic and socio-economic impact of this activity.
In addition, in Catalonia, the Ebro Delta has been threatened for a number of years by an invasive species which has devastating effects on the rice harvest: the giant apple snail (Pomacea maculata). Its high reproductive capacity and the absence of natural predators means it has been impossible to halt its expansion within the Delta, causing increasing damage to crops. Flooding fields with seawater has been one of the few strategies which has managed to curb the presence of the giant apple snail, taking advantage of the fact that it does not tolerate high salinity levels. Unfortunately, the residual salinity following the treatment with seawater generates losses in the crops which, in the worst cases, can affect up to 30% of production.
Therefore, the NEURICE project not only provides a solution for adapting rice varieties to climate change, it will also enable us to combat the invasion of the apple snail in Europe.
