The Impact of Climate Change on Quality, Yield, and Nutritional Properties of Cereals, Legumes, and Oilseeds

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2026 | Viewed by 1012

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Interests: food security; salinity stress; genomics; cereal grain quality and nutrition; plant and microbial biotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change poses a significant threat to global food security and nutrition. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, increased salinity, and elevated atmospheric CO2 levels can have profound effects on the yield, quality, and nutritional composition of major crop species, including cereals, legumes, and oilseeds. These crops are vital sources of calories, proteins, essential nutrients, and healthy fats for human consumption and animal feed. Understanding the impact of climate change factors on these crops is crucial for developing adaptation and mitigation strategies to ensure food and nutritional security in the face of a changing climate. This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest research on the effects of climate change stressors on the quality, yield, and nutritional properties of cereals, legumes, and oilseeds, as well as approaches to enhance their resilience and productivity under future climate scenarios.

This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research investigating the effects of climate change factors such as elevated temperatures, drought, salinity, and atmospheric CO2 levels on the quality, yield, and nutritional composition of major cereal, legume, and oilseed crops. We welcome original research articles utilising multi-omics approaches, field trials, crop modelling, and data integration to evaluate the impact of climate change stressors on grain quality parameters, seed nutritional profiles, productivity, and the underlying molecular and physiological mechanisms. Studies exploring strategies to mitigate these effects, such as breeding for climate resilience, agronomic practices, and beneficial microorganisms, are also encouraged. Research on underutilised or orphan crop species with potential climate resilience is of particular interest.

I/We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Vito Butardo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • climate change
  • cereals
  • legumes
  • oilseeds
  • grain quality
  • seed nutrition
  • yield
  • elevated temperatures
  • drought
  • salinity
  • atmospheric CO2
  • multi-omics
  • field trials
  • crop modelling
  • data integration
  • climate resilience
  • breed-ing strategies
  • agronomic practices
  • beneficial microorganisms
  • underutilised crops
  • orphan crops

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

40 pages, 1231 KiB  
Review
Climate Adaptation Strategies for Maintaining Rice Grain Quality in Temperate Regions
by Yvonne Fernando, Ben Ovenden, Nese Sreenivasulu and Vito Butardo, Jr.
Biology 2025, 14(7), 801; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14070801 - 2 Jul 2025
Viewed by 287
Abstract
Climate change poses significant challenges to temperate rice production, particularly affecting grain quality and market acceptance. This review synthesizes current knowledge of climate-induced quality changes, with a focus on the Australian rice industry as a case study with comparisons to other temperate regions. [...] Read more.
Climate change poses significant challenges to temperate rice production, particularly affecting grain quality and market acceptance. This review synthesizes current knowledge of climate-induced quality changes, with a focus on the Australian rice industry as a case study with comparisons to other temperate regions. Environmental stressors such as extreme temperatures, variable rainfall, elevated CO2, and salinity disrupt biochemical pathways during grain development, altering physicochemical, textural, and aromatic traits. Different rice classes exhibit distinct vulnerabilities: medium-grain japonica varieties show reduced amylose under heat stress, aromatic varieties experience disrupted aroma synthesis under drought, and long-grain types suffer kernel damage under combined stresses. Temperature is a key driver, with quality deterioration occurring above 35 °C and below 15 °C. Systems biology analyses reveal complex signalling networks underpinning these stress responses, although experimental validation remains limited. The Australian industry has responded by developing cold-tolerant cultivars, precision agriculture, and water-saving practices, yet projected climate variability demands more integrated strategies. Priorities include breeding for stress-resilient quality traits, refining water management, and deploying advanced phenotyping tools. Emerging technologies like hyperspectral imaging and machine learning offer promise for rapid quality assessment and adaptive management. Sustaining high-quality rice in temperate zones requires innovation linking physiology with practical adaptation. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop