Listening
Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
- resilient / rɪˈzɪl yənt / (adj.) – able to recover quickly after something difficult or bad has happened
Example:Desert plants are resilient because they can survive with very little water.
- bloom / blum / (v.) – to fully grow or develop; to produce flowers
Example:The cherry trees are blooming beautifully in the park, bringing bright colors to the spring season.
- geneticist / dʒəˈnɛt ə sɪst / (n.) – a scientist who studies genes and how characteristics are passed from one generation to the next
Example:The geneticist explained how genes can affect a person’s risk of developing certain diseases.
- hail / heɪl / (n.) – small, hard pieces of ice that fall from clouds like rain
Example:The unexpected hail made driving conditions very dangerous.
- variability / ˌvɛər i əˈbɪl ɪ ti / (n.) – the fact or possibility that something will change
Example:It’s difficult for farmers to plan their farming activities because of the weather’s variability.
Article
Read the text below.
In the quest to make apple trees more resilient in a warming climate, some Michigan researchers are looking for a late bloomer.
A native Michigan apple tree, the Malus coronaria, learned to fight frost by blooming two or three weeks later than the trees that produce cultivated varieties of apples like Honeycrisp or Red Delicious.
“That doesn’t sound like a lot, but almost always that’s enough for the flowers to escape the killing spring frost,” said Steve van Nocker, a Michigan State University professor and plant geneticist.
Van Nocker wants to identify the genes responsible for the Malus coronaria’s delayed blooms and use them to develop more frost-resistant apple varieties, a decades-long process. But first, he’s hiking through forests, trying to find the elusive trees.
Van Nocker’s project is one of many ways researchers and growers are trying to make apples more resilient as climate change makes weather less predictable.
In Europe and South Korea, growers are experimenting with solar panels in vineyards and orchards. The panels protect fruit from hail and sun damage, but also let in light and heat when necessary, said Jared Buono, the director of Cornell University’s Hudson Valley Research Lab. Buono’s lab is also adding solar panels to its experimental orchard.
University of Maryland researchers recently announced the development of a more heat-tolerant apple variety. At Penn State University, a team built an unmanned vehicle with a propane-fueled heater that can roll through an orchard and automatically warm trees.
Buono said such efforts can mitigate the impact of unusual weather like a May 18, 2023 frost that damaged trees across New York state and cut apple production by 20%.
“Growers’ jobs are already hard,” Buono said. “The change in climate, the increased unpredictability and variability, makes it that much harder.”
According to a Washington State University study published in January, major apple-growing counties in the top three U.S. apple-producing states—Washington, Michigan and New York—are seeing fewer cold days and more warm fall nights than they used to. Washington is also experiencing more extreme heat.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.
Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
- Scientists are working on creating new apple varieties that can bloom later or survive extreme temperatures. In your opinion, how important are these actions? What do you think would happen to the apple supply if temperatures become more extreme? Discuss.
- In your country, what types of plants do you think are greatly affected by the changing climate? What is the effect of climate change on these plants (ex. lower supply, changing taste)? Discuss.
Discussion B
- Some trees, like the Malus coronaria, have adapted to survive climate changes. Why do you think it is important for plants to learn to adapt to environmental changes brought by climate change? How would people be affected if plants don’t learn to adapt to these changes? Discuss.
- Plants and animals learn to adapt to environmental changes. How do you think people adapt to environmental changes? Do you think being adaptable to changes is important to survive? Why or why not? Discuss.
