Building Stress Resilience of Cereals under Future Climatic Scenarios: ‘The Case of Maize, Wheat, Rice and Sorghum’

Abstract

World population is projected to reach 10 billion by 2050 and the phenomenon is expected to cause a surge in demand for food, feed and industrial raw materials. Cereals (i.e., carbohydrate-rich grain crops) are the most widely grown and consumed crops worldwide. All cereals combined provide approximately 56% and 50% of global energy and protein needs, respectively. Maize, wheat, rice, barley and sorghum are the most produced and consumed cereals, globally. These are widely grown across the world from the tropics to the temperate regions. Although efforts are being done by governments, research organizations and academic institutions to increase productivity of these important crops, huge yield deficits still exist. Climate induced biotic (e.g., pests and diseases) as well as abiotic stresses (especially; heat and drought) are widely regarded as the key yield-constraining factors of most cereal crops. Given the contribution of cereals in global food and nutrition security, improvements in productivity of cereal production systems is mandatory if livelihoods are to be guaranteed. This chapter discusses the global production and utilization of four of the major global cereals, limiting factors to their productivity and possible solutions to the production constraints.

RETRACTED: Variability among maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines for agro- morphological traits

“…Maize (Zea mays L.) is a widely produced crop for fodder, food, and fuel (Muitire et al 2021). Maize is the second most important cereal crop in Nepal, and the area and production of maize are 1 million ha and 3 million mt in Nepal, respectively (FAOSTAT 2022).…”

The Role of Glutamine Synthetase (GS) and Glutamate Synthase (GOGAT) in the Improvement of Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Cereals

“…Cereals, cultivated in large quantities, represent the primary source of food worldwide, providing most proteins and calories utilized by humans [2,3]. Due to the broad variety of derived foods, cereals are estimated to make available around 56% and 50% of caloric intake and protein needs [4]. Rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum ssp.…”

Potential of Temperate, Tropical, and Sub-Tropical Exotic Maize Germplasm for Increased Gains in Yield Performance in Sub-Tropical Breeding Programs

“…In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), maize is the primary source of calories, contributing about 19% of the calorie intake [3,4]. Regardless of its importance in SSA, maize productivity is limited by multiple factors, including the abiotic (especially drought and heat stress) and the biotic (e.g., pests and diseases), which are known to be exacerbated by climate change [5][6][7][8]. In addition, lack of access to farming inputs (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation), common under small-holder farming set-ups in SSA, worsens the situation with yields per household averaging <1.5 tha −1 , a phenomenon threatening food and nutrition security [9].…”