Effects of Global Warming on Growth and Yield of Wheat in Japan

Abstract

Whether global warming actually affects the yield and grain quality of wheat in Japan is not clear, although the heading date tends to be hastened during warm winters. Global warming, however, might cause a serious problem for Japanese wheat production in the future. Our field experiments suggested that a high temperature increased the length of the leaf and the number of florets per spike but decreased the length of culm and individual grain weight. However, since the effects of a high temperature on many other traits were not clear, it was difficult to predict the relation between high temperature and grain yield. Based on those field experiments and other reports, we discuss the studies needed to cope with the global warming in Japan.