Temperature Rise Affecting India's Wheat Production: Study

The satellite imagery, of the northwest Indo-Gangetic plains, was taken at a resolution of 500m sq -- high enough to capture variations in local agricultural practices.

The data was then compared with climate and temperature information for the area to examine the affect on growth and development of the crop.

Warmer temperatures during the reproductive and grain-filling (ripening) periods had a significant negative impact on productivity and warmer minimum daily temperatures (night time temperatures) had the most significant impact on yield, the study said.

In some areas of the Indian wheat belt, growers have been bringing forward their growing season in order to align the most sensitive point of the crop growth cycle with a cooler period.

However, the researchers showed that in the long-term, this would not be an effective way of combating the problem, because of the high level of average temperature rise predicted for the future.

The study was published in the journal Global Change Biology.

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