Cropping cereals among timber trees

Global food production should at least double by the end of this century to meet the needs of the increasing human population. However, crop yield potential has stagnated (Ray et al. 2012), and some reduction in the crop yields is expected as consequence of climate change (Brisson et al. 2010). The increasing number of early warm events in temperate regions are causing heat-stress during the grain filling phase, and drought during the period of stem elongation. This has strong negative consequences on crop yields. In the last few years, in several regions of Spain, cereal crops have not been harvested because of the lack of grain in the plants. Consequently, new cropping practices that mitigate the harmful effects of climate change, and crop species and cultivars better adapted to new climate conditions, are demanded by farmers.