The influence of climate on durum wheat quality in Tuscany, Central Italy

Abstract

Climate and meteorological conditions greatly affect agricultural activities, modifying plant responses and determining the quantity and the quality of production. In this respect, the aim of this research was to analyze the quality of winter durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum), in terms of protein content through the use of meteorological information. Meteorological conditions were described utilizing both local weather station data (air temperature, cumulated precipitation) and large-scale information available freely on the internet, such as geopotential height (GPH), sea surface temperature (SST), and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index. The analysis was carried out for the period 1997-2009 in the Tuscany region, Central Italy. Grain protein was positively correlated with air temperature during the February to June period, and negatively with cumulative precipitation during the entire period from November to June. Protein content was also negatively correlated with 500 hPa GPH over Gibraltar and North-Western Africa during the March to June period and with the SST of the Atlantic Ocean south-west of the Canary Islands during the January to June period. Finally, with regard to the NAO, winter durum wheat quality was positively correlated with the specific index for several months, in particular during the winter period. These results demonstrate that precipitation and air temperature over the production area represent two crucial variables driving the vegeto-productive responses of winter durum wheat. On the other hand, the use of large-scale meteorological information showed great potential from the perspective of a local quality forecast system setup.

Relationships between Nitrogen Utilization and Grain Technological Quality in Durum Wheat: II. Grain Yield and Qualities

“…Moreover, the occurrence of a marked terminal water stress in grain filling under rainfed conditions in the first year may have determined also an improvement in the technological parameters. Finally, for the yellow index, the same trend reported for protein content was observed for pigment content, in agreement with Dexter and Matsuo (1977) and Dalla Marta et al (2011), who reported an association between protein content increase and an increase in pigment content.…”

“…M editerranean countries, where durum wheat is largely cultivated, are characterized by dry and hot summers alternating with humid and temperate winters (Ercoli et al, 2008). Due to this particular climatic trend, characterized by scarce water availability during the durum wheat grain‐filling period, predicting crop performance is challenging (Dalla Marta et al, 2011). As in other crops, an inverse relationship between grain yield and grain N concentration has been reported in durum wheat (Ehdaie and Waines, 2001; Triboï and Triboï‐Blondel, 2002, 2009; Martre et al, 2003; Triboï et al, 2006), and the degree of this relationship varies depending on soil fertility, water availability, and other environmental factors (Ehdaie and Waines, 2001).…”

Wheat yield in Spain and associated solar radiation patterns

“…Dalla Marta et al . () found a correlation between durum wheat over Gibraltar and geopotential at 500 hPa. Through the use of teleconnection patterns, a number of studies have demonstrated that large‐scale variables have effects on crop production.…”

Early heat waves over Italy and their impacts on durum wheat yields

“…In Italy, durum wheat represents approximately 55 % of the total wheat production (http://www.ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ data), while in the European Union, as a whole, it only reaches 5 %. For these reasons in Italy, the weather effects on winter durum wheat are of primary interest (Dalla Marta et al, 2011). Winter durum wheat is cultivated in southern/central Italy and in some areas of northern Italy, with about 1.2 million hectares dedicated to this crop.…”