Climate change-induced alteration in biotic environment and its effect on cereal and pseudocereal quality

Abstract

Wheat (mainly common, soft wheat Triticum aestivum but also durum, hard wheat Triticum turgidum) ranks third in the global annual production of commodities. It is the world’s largest crop in terms of harvested area (FAO, 2012) and considered as the most important field crops in the world. It provides more than 20% of the calorific intake for almost two-thirds of the human population. Wheat also contributes to nearly 30% of the world grain production and 50% of the world grain trade (Akter & Rafiqul Islam, 2017). Underutilized cereal crops such as oat, hull-less barley, triticale, and the pseudocereal buckwheat are getting more attention in recent years due to their ability to better cope with abiotic/biotic stresses. Underutilized cereal crops also have potentials to provide important health-promoting compounds and quality traits for sustainable food and feed production.