Wheat response to a wide range of temperatures, as determined from the Hot Serial Cereal (HSC) experiment

Authors: Kimball, Bruce; White, Jeffrey; Wall, Gerard - Gary; OTTMAN, MICHAEL - University Of Arizona; MATRE, PIERRE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)

Submitted to: Open Data Journal for Agricultural Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/26/2018
Publication Date: 2/12/2018
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6472280
Citation: Kimball, B.A., White, J.W., Wall, G.W., Ottman, M.J., Matre, P. 2018. Wheat response to a wide range of temperatures, as determined from the Hot Serial Cereal (HSC) experiment. Open Data Journal for Agricultural Research. 4:16-21.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18174/odjar.v4i0.15829

Interpretive Summary: Wheat growth models are useful tools for assessing the likely effects of climate change on future productivity, but they generally have not been tested at the higher temperatures expected in the future. In order to obtain data suitable for testing these models, a “Hot Serial Cereal” experiment was conducted – “Cereal” because it was on wheat, “Serial” because the wheat was planted serially approximately every six weeks for two years, and “Hot” because on three of the planting dates each year, infrared heaters were deployed above the crop to warm it by 1.5°C (2.7°F) during daytime and 3.0°C (5.4°F) at night. The results showed a large range of wheat response from zero to normal yields depending on season and temperature. Thus, an excellent dataset was obtained suitable for testing wheat models over the whole range of temperatures at which wheat can grow. This comprehensive dataset including management, soils, weather, physiology, phenology, growth, yield, and quality data has been assembled and is being published herein for easy access by wheat modelers and other users of such data. This research will benefit all consumers of wheat-based food, including meat from animals that are fed wheat.

Technical Abstract: Temperatures are warming on a global scale, a phenomenon that likely will affect future crop productivity. Crop growth models are useful tools to predict the likely effects of these global changes on agricultural productivity and to develop strategies to maximize the benefits and minimize the detriments of such changes. However, few such models have been tested at the higher temperatures expected in the future. Therefore, a “Hot Serial Cereal” experiment was conducted on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the world’s foremost food and feed crop, in order to obtain a dataset appropriate for testing the high temperature performance of wheat growth models. The wheat (Cereal) was planted serially (Serial) about every six weeks for over two years at Maricopa, Arizona, USA, which experiences the whole range of temperatures at which plants grow on Earth. In addition, on six planting dates infrared heaters in a T-FACE (temperature free-air controlled enhancement) system (Hot) were deployed over one-third of the plots to warm the wheat by additional target 1.5°C during daytime and 3.0°C at night. Achieved average degrees of warming were 1.3 and 2.7°C for day and night. Overall, a dataset covering 27 differently treated wheat crops with three replicates each was obtained covering an air temperature range from -2 to 42°C. Herein, the management, soils, weather, physiology, phenology, growth, yield, quality, and other data are presented.