Climate resilience of dry season cereals in India

Abstract

India is the world’s second largest producer of wheat, with more than 40% increase in production since 2000. Increasing temperatures raise concerns about wheat’s sensitivity to heat. Traditionally-grown sorghum is an alternative rabi (winter season) cereal, but area under sorghum production has declined more than 20% since 2000. We examine sensitivity of wheat and sorghum yields to historical temperature and compare water requirements in districts where both cereals are cultivated. Wheat yields are sensitive to increases in maximum daily temperature in multiple stages of the growing season, while sorghum does not display the same sensitivity. Crop water requirements (mm) are 1.4 times greater for wheat than sorghum, mainly due to extension of its growing season into summer. However, water footprints (m3 per ton) are approximately 15% less for wheat due to its higher yields. Sensitivity to future climate projections, without changes in management, suggests 5% decline in wheat yields and 12% increase in water footprints by 2040, compared with 4% increase in water footprint for sorghum. On balance, sorghum provides a climate-resilient alternative to wheat for expansion in rabi cereals. However, yields need to increase to make sorghum competitive for farmer profits and efficient use of land to provide nutrients.

Genome-wide association study and expression of candidate genes for Fe and Zn concentration in sorghum grains

“…Sorghum is an ideal crop under current and future climate change scenarios because it generates a good net return with low input and can feed a larger population, especially in semi-arid ecologies where wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), maize ( Zea mays L.), and rice ( Oryza sativa ) cannot be produced sustainably due to climate adversities, particularly high temperatures and increased drought stress 19 , 20 . Sorghum is a staple food for more than 500 million people in Africa and Asia 21 .…”

A Comprehensive Study of Assessing Sustainable Agricultural Water Management under Changing Climate Scenarios—A Regional Basis Study in the Western Ghats, India

“…However, it is interesting to note that damage caused by droughts increases due to over-dependence on reservoirs, making them vulnerable [2]. If the atmospheric temperature increases by 1 • C with increasing CO 2 concentration, it will cause a significant reduction in crop production for Indian agriculture [3]. Thus, it is highly important to focus on future irrigation water requirements regarding increasing population and changing the climate scenarios.…”