Learning outcomes
By the end of this unit you should:
have gained an understanding of the debated and projected scenarios of climate change;
have gained an understanding from research of the impact of elevated CO2 on leaf and root growth;
have learned about the possible impact of elevated CO2 and high temperatures on field growth crops, e.g. spring wheat, in terms of above and below ground biomass;
be able to determine possible seasonal responses to the effect of elevated CO2 and temperature with reference to perennial ryegrass;
understand what impact episodes of high temperature and drought might have on crops under conditions of future climate change, with reference to seed yield in soybean;
have developed an understanding about which stages of crop development are particularly susceptible to climatic extremes and what scientists are doing to determine future responses.
Introduction