Work

Climate instability: Rainfall on pre-harvest wheat, sprouting or nothing?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Untimely, pre-harvest rainfall (PHR) on wheat has become more frequent during the current period of climate instability. It is unclear whether these rain events can affect grain quality and subsequent marketability. The objectives of the research are: 1) Developing a simple and quick diagnostic tool to identify grains that have absorbed water and have subsequently dried up; 2) Identifying changes in PHR grains that have absorbed water. Wetting with either sprinklers or micro-sprinklers caused the grains to swell and soften but not to crack, and certainly not to germinate or sprout. Two diagnostic methods were developed: 1) Based on NIR and Multiplex scanning; 2) Based on the ratio between test weight (TW) and thousand kernel weight (TKW). Wetting caused a significant reduction in TW, dough elasticity and dough water absorption, and an increase in Falling Number (FN), flour particle size, and dough strength. Under Mediterranean climate, there is no major PHR effect on grain quality. Moreover, FN could not be used to determine that grains had undergone wetting. However, the reduction in TW due to wetting reduces the farmer's income. Our results emphasize the need to change the method of pricing wheat in regular marketing due to PHR rains.

Source: European Journal of Agronomy

DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2025.127737

Authors: David J. Bonfil, Yasmin Simchon, Sarit Melamed, Dikla Eckstein, Liron Klipcan, Zipora Tietel

Institution: Agricultural Research Organization

Language: English

Topic: Climate change impacts on agriculture

Subfield: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,200