Out of sight, out of mind: Night-temperature impact on major field crops

Abstract

Recent decades have highlighted the impact of climate change on field crops around the globe, with drought and extreme heat as the main drivers. However, a consistent and continuous increase in night temperature has been documented over time, but with very little attention and research on its impact on the yield of major field crops. This opinion paper presents the current state of the art on this topic, highlights the lack of research, identifies some potential causes, and draws attention to the need for future investment to fill the knowledge gap on this topic. Securing future productivity gains for major field crops will depend on more targeted crop improvement and agronomic management to enhance crop resilience to multiple stresses, including night temperature as a relevant stress that is usually overlooked (out of sight, out of mind!).