Changing Climate Is Testing Boundaries Of Wheat Resilience In The UK

By Pam Knox

A new study by scientists in the United Kingdom shows that more frequent extremes of weather during the growing season is causing it to be more difficult to grow wheat than in previous decades, according to a story in Meteorological Technology International this week. In the past, wheat crops were fairly resilient to an extreme weather event that occurred during a growing season, but the incidence of multiple extreme events in a year is increasing, leading to crop losses because of the swings in the weather. This is enough to offset increases in wheat production linked to warmer temperatures and a longer growing season.