Understanding the mechanistic basis of crop yield reductions in warm winters

In the UK and Europe high yielding arable crops are sown in autumn and flower the following
spring. During winter they require chilling to promote flowering and also during flower
development to promote high fertility. Previously, our research has shown that insufficient
chilling during flower development leads to large yield reductions in some growing seasons,
but the precise mechanism by which these effects of chilling affect yield remain unclear.
This project will develop new varieties of winter oilseed rape that are able to respond to higher
chilling temperatures, and thus will have more resilient high yields as the climate warms. The
project will use modern scientific methods to accelerate the breeding of new crop varieties
more suited to the environments of 21st century Europe.
Genomic techniques will be used to discover gene variants that allow high yields in
environments with modest chilling, and improve our understanding of the molecular and
physiological basis of yield reductions in warm winters. The project will seek to understand the
effects of climate change on crops, using techniques such as a field trials with artificial plot
warming, and new controlled environment facilities that can mimic real environments at high
resolution and simulate warming at specific times of the year.