LAUSR

BACKGROUND Wheat grain quality, an important determinant for human nutrition, is often overlooked when improving crop production for stressed environments. Climate change makes this task more difficult by imposing combined stresses. The scenarios relevant to climate change include elevated CO2 concentrations (eCO2 ) and extreme climatic events, such as drought, heat waves and salinity stresses. However, data on wheat quality in terms of climate change are limited, with no concerted efforts at the global level to provide an equitable and consistent climate risk assessment on wheat grain quality. RESULTS The climate change induces changes in the quality and composition of wheat grain, a premier staple food crop globally. The climate change events, such as eCO2 , heat, drought, salinity stress stresses, heat + drought, eCO2 + drought, and eCO2 + heat stresses, alter wheat grain quality in terms of grain weight, nutrient, anti-nutrient, fiber, and protein contents and composition, starch granules, and free amino acid composition. Interestingly, as compared to other stresses heat stress and drought stress increased phytate contents, that restrict the bioavailability essential mineral elements. All climatic events, except for eCO2 + heat stress, increased grain gliadin contents in different wheat varieties. However, grain quality components depend more on inter-varietal difference, stress type, and exposure time and intensity. The climatic events showed differential regulation of protein and starch accumulation, and mineral metabolism in wheat grains. CONCLUSION Rapid climate shifting impairs wheat productivity and deteriorates grain quality by interrupting the allocation of essential nutrients and photo-assimilates. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.