Embracing plant plasticity or robustness as a means of ensuring food security

The dual challenges of global population explosion and environmental deterioration represent major hurdles for 21^st Century agriculture culminating in an unprecedented demand for food security. In this Review, we revisit historical concepts of plasticity and canalization before integrating them with contemporary studies of genotype-environment interactions (G×E) that are currently being carried out at the genome-wide level. In doing so we address both fundamental questions regarding G×E and potential strategies to best secure yields in both current and future climate scenarios.