Scientists in the UK have documented a link between climate change and rising average temperatures, especially at night, with reduced crop yields on the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK were the first to use weekly satellite imagery of the wheat crop across the plains that reach across most of eastern and northern India compared with data about climate and temperature. The team found that India’s wheat production is highly vulnerable to rising temperatures, especially during reproductive and ripening stages and from rising temperatures at night. Ten years ago India’s wheat yield was increasing and the country became the world’s second biggest wheat producer behind China, producing 94.9 million tons in 2012. However, researchers are warning that by 2050 average temperatures will be 5% higher than they are today meaning there will be a “significant negative impact on productivity” and posing a serious threat to food security in South Asia.
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