The correct answer is D.
Early maturing and drought-tolerant crop varieties are important for adapting to climate change, improving yields in dryland areas, and reducing crop losses.
Climate change is causing temperatures to rise and precipitation patterns to change. This is making it more difficult to grow crops in some areas. Early maturing and drought-tolerant crop varieties can help farmers to adapt to these changes by allowing them to grow crops in areas that were previously too dry or too hot.
Early maturing and drought-tolerant crop varieties can also help to improve yields in dryland areas. In dryland areas, water is often the limiting factor for crop growth. Early maturing and drought-tolerant crop varieties can use water more efficiently, which can lead to higher yields.
Finally, early maturing and drought-tolerant crop varieties can help to reduce crop losses. Crop losses can occur due to a variety of factors, including pests, diseases, and weather events. Early maturing and drought-tolerant crop varieties can be more resistant to these factors, which can lead to lower crop losses.
In conclusion, the development of early maturing and drought-tolerant crop varieties is important for adapting to climate change, improving yields in dryland areas, and reducing crop losses.