Climate Change on Rice

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The above three paintings represent the normal development of rice during the tillering stage (left), the flowering stage (center), and a grain of rice which fell onto the soil sprouting (right). This series was completed in 1998 and consists of 15 oil paintings, each 30" tall by 10" wide, painted and drawn in a variety of oil paint on panels made of wood and primed, sealed Masonite. 

The series of paintings represents the growth and developmental stages of rice (Oryza sativa, L) and reflects the hands-on experience with rice I had during my MS where I studied the Greenhouse Effect on Rice for the EPA and IRRI (the International Rice Research Institute) in one of the five initial studies done in the U.S. In a subsequent published controlled environment study in the Journal of Experimental Botany, although the vegetative growth of rice increased, in terms of the reproductive growth, there was over 99% unfilled grains across all 17 of the high-yielding rice varieties studied when rice was exposed to both elevated carbon dioxide and higher temperature treatments. Ziska, et. al. (1996) wrote: "at the higher growth temperature (37/29 °C), grain yield was almost zero, presumably due, in part, to temperature-induced infertility (i.e. the percentage of filled spikelets was < 1%)" (p.1353). 17 cultivars of rice were studied: "In the current experiment, a growth temperature of 37/29 °C resulted in a >95% elimination of viable seed in all cultivars tested" (Ziska, et. al., 1996, p. 1358). Imagine the impact. Over 50% of the world consumes rice as their daily staple food. Imagine 99% fewer grains of rice for people to eat. 

Of the 15 paintings, two of those paintings (shown here) document how the rice plants looked in the experimental treatment (double the carbon dioxide and 4 degrees Celsius higher for both the day and the night temperatures). They had male parts that were toasted, burnt-up brown (from the extra heat). Also, due to the sterility of the male parts, there were panicles of unfilled grain. The plants in the experimental chamber with higher temperature (along with higher carbon dioxide) kept putting out more and more panicles, but very few of the grains actually filled. Fewer filled grains means less food. 

During my three-year research-based MS at University of Illinois I studied climate change on rice for the EPA. I did one of the first five tentative studies funded by the EPA in conjunction with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). I was inspired by the beauty of the rice plants that I cared for during the two repetitions of the experiments. In order to conduct the research in the midst of Illinois, I built controlled environmental chambers in two different greenhouses and maintained tight control of growing conditions in both chambers. In one growth chamber I increased the carbon dioxide and the temperature and kept day/night temperatures consistent. In the other, control, chamber I used ambient carbon dioxide and kept that chamber consistently at ambient day/night temperatures for rice-growing areas. I was given four varieties of rice (IR36, IR44, IR52, IR72) to test during each of two repetitions of the same experiment. During each repetition, at the end I was dismayed by how many of the rice plants in the experimental chamber were unable to produce filled grains in the higher temperatures projected to occur as our climate warms up due to "greenhouse" gasses like carbon dioxide, methane, and others.

The paintings have been exhibited in a solo show at Cafe Amadeus in Rockville Center, NY and at Kavehaz in Soho in NYC. The series is available for traveling exhibition although the entire series has been purchased by a collector and is now privately owned. Contact me to arrange a traveling exhibition of this series.