The effects of rising temperature on wheat growth and yields

摘要

INCREASING temperatures can drastically reduce crop yields, make irrigation a necessity, and increase the threat of drought. So for farmers around the globe, a changing climate is a major concern. Agricultural Research Service researchers at the US Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center in Maricopa, Arizona, have been helping growers prepare for the changing times by turning up the heat in experimental wheat fields to levels anticipated by 2050. "No one knows exactly how changing conditions will affect yields in the decades ahead, and we're trying to give growers an idea about what they might expect, and how they can address warming issues and minimise losses," says Bruce Kimball, a retired ARS soil scientist who was the project leader.