image: Wheat suffered from flooding after the winter of 2017/2018. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Jørgen E. Olesen.
Researchers report a decline in the climate resilience of wheat in Europe. European wheat comprises one-fifth of the world's wheat supply, but little is known about its climate resilience. Crops' climate resilience can be assessed by determining whether crop varieties demonstrate diverse responses to varying weather conditions. Helena Kahiluoto and colleagues analyzed variations in response diversity on farmers' wheat fields as well as yield and weather data from wheat cultivar trials in Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, and Spain. The data spanned from 1991 to 2014 and included 100,985 cultivar yield observations. The authors found overall decline in the response diversity of wheat on farmers' fields and the climate resilience of European wheat. Wheat cultivars also had negative yield responses during times of extreme rainfall. Although a diversity hotspot appeared in Slovakian wheat cultivar trials, the authors observed diversity deserts in Czechia, Germany, Italy, and Spain. According to the authors, current European wheat cultivar selection practices are unsuitable for uncertain and varying climate conditions.
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Article #18-04387: "Decline in climate resilience of European wheat," by Helena Kahiluoto et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Helena Kahiluoto, LUT University, Lappeenranta, FINLAND; tel: +358405118335; email: helena.kahiluoto@lut.fi
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences