News – HEAT AND DROUGHT WHEAT IMPROVEMENT CONSORTIUM

Crop Production is Changing.

Written by on January 29, 2021. Posted in News. No Comments on Crop Production is Changing.

National Geographic: Climate change may actually benefit some plants by lengthening growing seasons and increasing carbon dioxide. Yet other effects of a warmer world, such as more pests, droughts, and flooding, will be less benign. How will the world adapt? Using an aggressive climate model known as HadGEM2, researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute project that by 2050, suitable croplands for four top commodities—corn, potatoes, rice, and wheat—will shift, in some cases pushing farmers to plant new crops.

Climate change could mean more insect damage for the world’s crops.

Written by on January 29, 2021. Posted in News. No Comments on Climate change could mean more insect damage for the world’s crops.

Mashable, September 1, 2018: A new study published in the journal Science suggests that as the world warms due to human-caused climate change, more and more bugs will populate the globe.
A team of scientists led by Curtis Deutsche and Joshua Tewskbury examined how insects would affect three of the most important crops: rice, maize, and wheat.
They found that any increase in global temperature could lead to insect-driven losses of 10 to 25 percent, especially in places used to more moderate temperatures. A 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature could lead to 213 million ton loss in the three crops measured.
However, from region to region, the way that heat will affect crops and insects will vary. For example, wheat grows best in cooler temperatures, so if the temperature rises, the wheat will face both a less favorable climate for growth and a higher insect population.
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Wheat, one of the world’s most important crops, is being threatened by climate change.

Written by on January 29, 2021. Posted in News. No Comments on Wheat, one of the world’s most important crops, is being threatened by climate change.

The Washington Post, September 12, 2016:
One of the biggest concerns about climate change is the effect it will have on agriculture. Many studies have suggested that rising temperatures could be harmful to farms around the world, although there’s plenty of uncertainty about how bad things will get and which food supplies we should worry about most. Now, a new study published Monday in Nature Climate Change reiterates concerns that wheat — the most significant single crop in terms of human consumption — might be in big trouble. After comparing multiple studies used to predict the future of global crop production, researchers have found that they all agree on one point: rising temperatures are going to be really bad for wheat production.