Climate resilience on-farm action planner (cereals): High summer temperatures/heat extremes

Here are some of the impacts of high summer temperatures and heat extremes and the actions you can take using our Climate resilience on-farm action planner for cereals and oilseeds.

Climate change has increased the chance of hot summers by 12–25%. By mid-century, the chances increase further to around 50–60%.

This means hot summers like 2018, where temperatures reached 35°C in Kent, are likely to occur more often. Temperatures could increase to 7°C higher than current summer averages, with the potential to exceed 40°C more frequently.

High temperatures can create pest and disease pressures, while other factors such as humidity will be important.

• Monitor for aphids, other pests and beneficial species in each field
• Select resilient crop species/varieties more tolerant to pests and diseases
• Varieties with a good disease-resistance profile are a priority, rather than the headline yield, e.g. new resistance and tolerance traits in the AHDB Recommended Lists – Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), orange wheat blossom midge and turnip yellows virus (TuYV)
• Apply integrated pest management, e.g. consider changing timings on sowing, and consider use of pest and disease risk/decision support tools

• Early establishment of crops or growing earlier maturing varieties
• Use a diverse crop rotation
• Have a soil management plan, maintain good soil health and soil organic matter where possible
• Consider installing irrigation systems

This could be in fields, straw bales, grain and agrochemicals stores.

• Implement fire breaks between fields, hedgerows and woodland areas where regulations allow
• Store less material on the farm where possible and regularly check stores

This can adversely impact grain quality and lead to spoilage.

• Use ventilation to keep grain cool; grain coolers may be more important in the future
• Regularly monitor and sample for grain quality, e.g. grain moisture
• Put fire breaks between fields, hedgerows and woodland areas where regulations allow

• Schedule strenuous or outdoor tasks for cooler parts of the day where possible
• Provide shaded areas or cool environments for breaks and make sure plenty of drinking water is available to prevent dehydration

• Easier machine operations, reduced drying costs and reduced spoilage if warm and dry
• Agroforestry to provide a more sheltered site for crops
• Crops such as soya, sunflower and grain maize could become viable in the UK
• Changing to more heat-tolerant/drought varieties or crop species where appropriate