Yes,why not.

Mr Roy, can elaborate your answer?

This is a very vague question, you can't get any specific answer with this. If you want to get better answer, pin-point what you are actually thinking to ask. With the use of molecular biology and biotechnology, such tasks can be achieved. But here comes the question about how? Iff this is you want to ask, you could either elaborate or dig in literature.

Mr. Abhijeet,

lt is a very specific question pertaining to bread wheat, a winter crop with long day photoperiod.

Grow a range of existing varieties in single rows in say two replicated blocks in your target environment. Then 'pick the best'. Maybe cross those together and grow out the individual grains. Again pick the best and grow out family rows. Keep on picking the best and then bulk up the top five say and do field trials.

It would be difficult, using existing wheat varieties to achieve a good selection result and to find adapted to such high temperatures wheat variety (see proposal of Richard). In wheat, the phase of flowering and incipient grain filling is particularly sensitive to high temperature (>28°C) and drought (BBCH 65-75). This year we had exactly these problems here in Germany, especially in North- and East Germany. High temperatures in May and June (flowering time of wheat and kernel forming) after a warm April caused yield losses of 30 to 70 per cent. Besides this we have a drought here since 3 months. Also in well watered pot experiments at the naturally prevailing high temperatures in these critical development stages of wheat yields were diminished by reduced weight of grains by 30%. One possibility would be to find early flowering wheat varieties. They should have flowered out before heat comes. Especially in France, such varieties were developed. However, adapted for European conditions. But premature varieties have problems also, such in the occurrence of late frosts or early summer drought or spring drought. Maybe, you can create a heat tolerant or resistant variety by using molecular biology and biotechnology. But it can also be that this has then other problems such e. g. pests and diseases. It is difficult to intervene in complex systems without knowing and taking into account the complexity. Perhaps it is better to switch to crops adapted to such conditions and cultivate them instead of wheat. Climate change will likely lead to increase the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration and timing of weather and climate extremes. We have to face this problem in an intelligent way and be open to unusual approaches. A question is how we can make plants more tolerant to stresses. In that sense, you asked a good question, thank you Dr. Yadav.

Supplement to my answer: all wheat varieties were affected by the yield loss caused by high temperatures and /or drought this year in North and East Germany.

In principle, the answer is yes although the timescale could be very long. At these temperatures water is likely to be in short supply and C3 photosynthesis is not at its best. There is a long list of easier problems to solve before we reach this point.

Your query, I hope, pertains to cultural conditions in India. The February-May period is not recommended for India from economics point of view, though wheat plants can be grown during this period as well. A number of wheat varieties have been released in India for cultivation during January -April period which is more suitable than the period you are asking for.

Dear Dr. Vinod Tiwari Ji,

We have sown wheat germplasm lines on 15 - 25 January and harvested some lines with good yield from 20-30 April during 2012 -2017 at ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi. However, there is a marked reduction in most of the morpho-physiological traits contributing to the final yield. My quest is to identify germplasm lines, which will be able to grow from February to May in North-Western Plain Zone of India, with no or very less yield penalty.

Your research endeavour has to be ultimately translated to the end users - the farmers would not accept growing wheat during February. From an academic point of view, you can grow wheat plants at any time of the year.

I agree with Vinod Tiwari. The framer does not grow wheat to look at it. He wants to harvest it, get a yield to feed himself and his family. Or to sell it and make a profit. Theoretically much is possible. But it must also be economically and ecologically sensible. Wheat cultivation on border locations does not make sense.

It is feasible to develop wheat varieties that suit Rice-Potato-Wheat or Maize-Potato-wheat crop rotations in Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India. To achieve the sustainability of these crop rotations and to harvest profitable yield of bread wheat, we need to identified donor lines and use these in the breeding of varieties of bread wheat, which could have successful pollination, fertilization and grain development at temperatures above 35 degree centigrade.

In India Wheat is Rabi crop which grows during winter season and needs lower temperature for good yield. Although due to changing environment researchers are working on developing heat tolerance wheat which can tolerate high temperature.

Wheat is available as spring wheat (sowing in spring, harvesting in summer) and winterwheat (sowing in autumn, harvesting in the summer of next year) in Europe. In both of them the phase of flowering and incipient grain filling is particularly sensitive to high temperature (>28°C) and drought (BBCH 65-75). Is the Indian Rabi wheat the same as the european winter wheat, Anshuman Tiwari? I think so, but I don't know it.

In the era of climate change, we need to look for alternatives. It may be crops well suited to the local climate or to introduce tolerance/adaptation in the existing crop to produce harvest of economic value. I appreciate all the scientist colleagues and academicians for their inputs especially Dr. Petra and Dr. Tiwari.