Farrell, A. D., Clifton-Brown, J. C., Lewandowski, I., Jones, M. B. (2006). Genotypic variation in cold tolerance influences the yield of Miscanthus. Annals of Applied Biology, 149 (3), 337-345.When grown in Europe, Miscanthus genotypes often produce yields lower than their potential due to late emergence of shoots in the spring or to damage from late frosts when shoots emerge too early. Here, we investigate genotypic variation in the base temperature (Tb) for shoot emergence and in the lethal temperature for shoots (LT50) in four Miscanthus genotypes. In all genotypes, lowering temperature increased the time to shoot emergence, with Tb ranging from 8.6?C in Sac-5 to 6?C in Sin-H9. Frost treatments below ?8?C resulted in a marked reduction in growth in all four genotypes. Sin-H9 was the most frost tolerant with an LT50 of ?9.3?C. There was little variation found in leaf osmotic potential, but leaf moisture content was significantly lower in Sin-H9 than in the other genotypes. The lower thermal requirement for emergence and lower LT50 seen in Sin-H9 was incorporated into a model of Miscanthus production. The model showed an extended growing season that was predicted to increase yields by up to 25%.Peer reviewe

A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate changeAssessing global progress on human adaptation to climate change is an urgent priority. Although the literature on adaptation to climate change is rapidly expanding, little is known about the actual extent of implementation. We systematically screened >48,000 articles using machine learning methods and a global network of 126 researchers. Our synthesis of the resulting 1,682 articles presents a systematic and comprehensive global stocktake of implemented human adaptation to climate change. Documented adaptations were largely fragmented, local and incremental, with limited evidence of transformational adaptation and negligible evidence of risk reduction outcomes. We identify eight priorities for global adaptation research: assess the effectiveness of adaptation responses, enhance the understanding of limits to adaptation, enable individuals and civil society to adapt, include missing places, scholars and scholarship, understand private sector responses, improve methods for synthesizing different forms of evidence, assess the adaptation at different temperature thresholds, and improve the inclusion of timescale and the dynamics of responses.

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Pre-maturity alpha-amylase is associated with temperature shocks during grain filling. In some cases this coincides with an increase in grain area, but there is no evidence of a mechanistic link between high alpha-amylase and grain or endosperm cavity area.

About 80% of global farmland is under rain-fed conditions and most of it prone to drought, which limits crop productivity. Due to climate change, drought will become more frequent and severe threatening world food security.Antitranspirants, materials that reduce transpiration, could potentially result in greater food production by realising more of a crop's potential yield during drought. Despite antitranspirants also reducing photosynthesis, research has shown that they can mitigate drought stress resulting in increased grain yield.Although this paper is not restricted to specific years, part of it is a systematic review of 173 original research articles published between 2009 and 2018.Overall, the analysis suggests that interest in the potential of antitranspirants is growing.One major achievement in antitranspirant research during the past decade was establishing the optimal timing of application of the substances, which is linked to reproductive processes most vulnerable to drought. Despite research evidence of the efficacy of antitranspirants in ameliorating drought stress, they are not widely used for commercial arable crop production. However, in fruit horticulture, 2 products with antitranspirant effects are being used for various non-antitranspirant purposes such as synchronising fruit ripening, enhancement of nutritional quality, protection against sunburn and controlling diseases and insect pests.

Reliable estimates of the impacts of climate change on crop production are critical for assessing the sustainability of food systems. Global, regional, and site-specific crop simulation studies have been conducted for nearly four decades, representing valuable sources of information for climate change impact assessments. However, the wealth of data produced by these studies has not been made publicly available. Here, we develop a global dataset by consolidating previously published meta-analyses and data collected through a new literature search covering recent crop simulations. The new global dataset builds on 8703 simulations from 202 studies published between 1984 and 2020. It contains projected yields of four major crops (maize, rice, soybean, and wheat) in 91 countries under major emission scenarios for the 21st century, with and without adaptation measures, along with geographical coordinates, current temperature and precipitation levels, projected temperature and precipitation changes. This dataset provides a solid basis for a quantitative assessment of the impacts of climate change on crop production and will facilitate the rapidly developing data-driven machine learning applications.

We present the first systematic, global stocktake of the academic literature on human adaptation. We screen 48,316 documents and identify 1,682 articles that present empirical research documenting human efforts to reduce risk from climate change and associated hazards. Coding and synthesizing this literature highlights that the overall extent of adaptation across global regions and sectors is low. Adaptations are largely local and incremental rather than transformative. Behavioural adjustments by individuals and households are more prevalent than any other type of response, largely motivated by drought and precipitation variability. Local governments and civil society are engaging in risk reduction across all sectors and regions, particularly in response to flooding. Urban technological and infrastructural adaptations to flood risk are prevalent in Europe, while shifts in farming practices dominate reporting from Africa and Asia. Despite increasing evidence of adaptation responses, evidence that these responses are reducing risks (observed and projected) remains limited.