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gap between researchers at the college and farmers who need assistance. <br />That could be in part because corn silk needs to remain moist in order for <br />pollen to stick to it and make seeds, and heat may be drying out the corn <br />silk, among other issues. <br />It's not just pollination that is at risk. <br />With extra heat, plants struggle to absorb moisture from the soil, Ahmad said. <br />When plants can't absorb enough water to compensate for the loss of <br />moisture from their stomata — essentially the plant version of pores — plants <br />aren't able to make food and they don't grow. <br />Ahmad personally grows about 10 varieties of Okra. A recent crop was half <br />as tall as the plants were a few summers ago, he said — something he <br />attributes to heat. Too much heat can cause other plants, like lettuce, to bolt <br />or flower, essentially ending the plant's life early and rendering it useless for <br />harvesting and sale. <br />Ahmad, who tests different varieties of crops to see which ones are best <br />suited for the islands, said he had multiple species of beets and daikons bolt <br />prematurely this summer. <br />A bigger worry for Hawaii than challenges with corn or lettuce is that too <br />much heat can cause an increase in the salt content in the state's beloved <br />taro fields, which over time can cause major problems for the crop. <br />Heat can also be a <br />challenge for <br />growing <br />macadamia nuts <br />— one of the <br />state's most <br />successful crops. <br />In order for <br />macadamia nut <br />