Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Rising Heat Hits Indian Wheat Crop

Woman harvesting wheat in Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh, India (Credit: Yann via Wikimedia Commons) Click to enlarge.
Satellite imaging highlights the growing need to change agricultural practices in South Asia as higher average temperatures cause the reduction of crop yields on the Indo-Gangetic plain.

Researchers in the UK have established a link between changing climate and agriculture that could have significant consequences for food supplies in South Asia.

They have found evidence of a relationship between rising average temperatures in India and reduced wheat production, which was increasing until about a decade ago but has now stopped.

The researchers, Dr John Duncan, Dr Jadu Dash and Professor Pete Atkinson, all geographers at the University of Southampton, say an intensification is predicted for the recent increases in warmth in India’s main wheat belt that are damaging crop yields.

The greatest impact that the hotter environment has on wheat, they say, comes from a rise in night-time temperatures.

Dr Dash said: “Our findings highlight the vulnerability of India’s wheat production system to temperature rise.  We are sounding an early warning to the problem, which could have serious implications in the future

Rising Heat Hits Indian Wheat Crop

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