new research — Science and IT
A warming climate is significantly affecting rice quality throughout East Asia.
Rice is a staple food for billions of people in the world, and its demand has doubled over the past 50 years. Asia, which is the main growing region and largest exporter of rice, is experiencing significant changes in the quality of this product.
This was reported by PHYS.org.
According to the study, climate change, particularly the increase in night temperatures, significantly affects the quality of rice in East Asia.
Scientists from China and Japan studied data from the past 35 years and found that the most important factor is nighttime temperature, which begins to affect rice quality at 12°C and 18°C for Japan and China, respectively. This impairs photosynthesis and reduces the accumulation of starch in grains.
The second most significant factor was daily solar radiation, followed by daily precipitation and deficit…
