Fertilizer Fights Drought? Scientists Discover Surprising Plant Defense

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A massive global study across 26 grassland sites in 9 countries found something unexpected: fertilizer can completely offset drought damage in plants.

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Drought typically reduces plant growth by 19%, but researchers discovered adding fertilizer boosts growth by 24% - effectively canceling out the drought's impact.

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What's most surprising? Plants in already dry areas responded BETTER to fertilizer during drought than plants in wetter regions.

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Adding nutrients can offset the impact of drought, especially in areas that are already pretty dry," explains study co-author Amber Churchill from Binghamton University.

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The secret seems to be in the grasses - they efficiently used the added nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium even when water was scarce.

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But before you stock up on fertilizer for the next dry spell... scientists warn it's not a perfect solution.

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That's a great benefit, but that costs a lot of money. So there's a tradeoff," cautions Churchill about the fertilizer approach.

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What might work better long-term? Plant diversity. Having different species means someone's likely to survive when drought hits.

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The findings could reshape how we protect food systems as climate change brings more frequent droughts worldwide.

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