Warming winters may sound like a welcome change for some farmers because the change in temperature could reduce freezing stress on plants and create more ideal conditions for growing overwinter cash crops and winter cover crops. However, when looking at
"Although the implications of changes in snow for agricultural irrigation are beginning to be understood, the consequences of such for predominantly rainfed winter crops such as winter wheat remain largely unknown. There might be risks for being overoptimistic about growing overwinter crops under climate change," said Jin.
Projections show that future reduced snow cover could offset up to one-third of the yield benefit from reduced frost. This research will help inform breeders as they consider the complex tradeoffs among warming, reduced snowpack and occasional freezing threats when developing climate-smart cultivars.