California produces a huge portion of America's fruits, nuts, and vegetables. California is also contending with rising temperatures, wildfires, and drought. Can orchards that have been established for decades survive the worsening conditions? Could new varieties of trees be developed to protect crops? Can different crops replace the vulnerable orchards we have? While tomato crops can be switched out in a year, and grapevines in a few years, fruit and nut trees require an investment of decades, so scientists have to think far ahead in plans to save the crops for future generations.

Scientists from UC Davis are tackling these question at the Wolfskill Experimental Orchard, often referred to as the "torture orchard," where trees are exposed to the worst effects of climate change to see how they adapt or die. Researchers hope to identify the weakest points in California's system of orchards and develop strategies for working around harsher conditions. Possibilities include breeding hardier rootstocks to weather drought, changing crops to fruits and nuts that require less water, or even moving orchards further north. They have to get those strategies just right, because any of those plans require massive investments that won't pay off for a long time. Read about the plight of <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/breeding-trees-for-climate-change">California's trees and the research that might save them</a> at Atlas Obscura.&nbsp;#orchard #agriculture #laboratory #climatechange