Climate Change Impact On Wheat Grain Composition and Quality

(November 8, 2022) - Greater research focus on the stress-induced alterations in wheat is essential to improve the sustainability and quality of crops during unpredictable climate shifts, according to an international research team including from The University of Western Australia’s Institute of Agriculture.

A review paper, recently published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, discussed the composition and quality of wheat grain during changes in climate and sketched a comprehensive atlas of grain nutrients and their chemical composition.

It concluded that further genetic testing would likely uncover new avenues in stress physiology, which could pave the way for dealing with worldwide malnutrition and hunger by ensuring the healthy intake of staple foods.

The research team included Associate Professor Muhammad Farooq, an Adjunct Professor at The UWA Institute of Agriculture from the Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, the Institute’s Director UWA Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique and scientists from the Government College Women University and the University of Agriculture in Faisalabad, Pakistan.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum spp. aestivum and Triticum turgidum ssp. Durum) greatly contributes to global food security, serving as a staple food for approximately 40 per cent of the global population.

However, wheat productivity is threatened by the unpredicted incidence of acute climatic events such as drought, heat, salinity, elevated CO2 (eCO2), heat and drought, eCO2 and drought, and eCO2 and heat stresses.

The researchers determined that rapid climate shifts directly impacted wheat productivity and seriously affected principal grain components including starch, fibre, protein, amino acids, essential nutrients, grain weight and grain morphology.

Professor Siddique said climatic events showed differential regulation of protein and starch accumulation and mineral metabolism in wheat grains.

The 2022 United Nations (UN) Climate Conference, known as COP 27, is currently underway in Egypt.

The UN Foundation’s Managing Director of Climate and Environment Ryan Hobert said the world was at a tipping point with climate change.

“We know from recent research that innovation in agriculture focused on climate change has a 10:1 return on investment,” Mr Hobert told the UN Foundation.

“We’re not going to meet our food security, nutrition, or climate goals if we don’t pay attention to food and agriculture innovation.”

Professor Siddique said unpredicted climate events continued to put pressure on crop productivity and quality, especially in developing countries.

“Maintaining wheat grain quality under climate change is critical for human nutrition, end-use functional quality, and commodity value,” he said.