The effect of temperature on the cultivation and production of wheat crop (in Hilla district)

Abstract

The temperature is one of the important climatic elements that affect the distribution and spread of plants, especially in their growth and composition, as it affects the physiological and vital processes of the plant, such as photosynthesis, respiration, and the absorption of water and nutrients. These physiological processes vary in their intensity and efficiency according to the temperature and for each of these processes. Three thermal limits are the lower limit, the upper limit, and the ideal limit. Therefore, any change higher or lower than this degree leads to a decrease in the speed of occurrence of these processes and reaches the extent of stopping and damage to the plant according to the deviation from the ideal temperature range for that process. Each agricultural crop has certain climatic requirements that must be met for the success of its cultivation, especially the temperature, as it has the largest role in growing field crops, including the wheat crop. Temperature rates (optimal, maximum and minimum) during its five growth stages, germination, branching stage, vegetative growth stage, flowering stage, and maturity stage, as well as differences between the crop's appropriate temperature requirements and comparing them with the temperature values in the study area. The research showed that the temperatures (optimum, maximum and minimum) of the wheat crop were decreasing during some stages, while they were ideal for some other stages in the study area.