{"id":389822,"date":"2026-04-13T13:08:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/389822\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T13:08:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:08:17","slug":"ai-and-drones-team-up-to-find-climate-resilient-wheat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/389822\/","title":{"rendered":"AI and drones team up to find climate-resilient wheat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Wheat<\/a>image: \u00a9ozdigital | iStock
\n AI and drones are being used to identify climate-resilient wheat varieties that balance high yields with climate stability. Researchers have revealed that \u201cvigorous early growth\u201d and \u201cearly maturation\u201d, rather than long-lasting green leaves, are the secret to consistent harvests in a warming world<\/p>\n

Researchers from the University of Barcelona and Agrotecnio have developed a high-tech strategy to identify wheat varieties<\/a> that can withstand the unpredictable weather caused by climate change.<\/p>\n

Published in Plant Phenomics in 2026, the study moves beyond simply measuring total harvest volume. Instead, it uses artificial intelligence and aerial drones<\/a> to find a balance between high yield and \u201cproduction stability\u201d\u2014the ability to deliver consistent results whether a season is rainy or plagued by drought.<\/p>\n

High-tech monitoring from the skies: Climate-resilient wheat<\/p>\n

The researchers analysed 64 different varieties of durum wheat across Mediterranean climates, comparing irrigated fields to those that rely solely on rainfall. To track these crops, the team deployed drones equipped with a suite of sophisticated sensors.<\/p>\n

This technological approach included several layers of data collection:<\/p>\n

Multispectral and thermal cameras:<\/p>\n

These allowed scientists to see \u201cinvisible\u201d traits, such as plant stress levels and moisture content, long before the harvest began.<\/p>\n

Rapid analysis:<\/p>\n

By using drone data, the team could predict a variety\u2019s performance without the time-consuming process of physical harvesting, drastically reducing costs for breeding programs.<\/p>\n

AI modelling:<\/p>\n

All the data was fed into artificial intelligence models, which were trained to predict which specific seeds would remain stable even as temperatures rise and water becomes scarce.<\/p>\n

Why greener isn\u2019t always better<\/p>\n

One of the study\u2019s most surprising conclusions challenges a common belief in farming: that plants which stay green longer produce more. The researchers found that \u201csustained greenness\u201d at the end of the season did not guarantee higher yields and often led to less stable harvests.<\/p>\n

Instead, the most successful climate-resilient varieties displayed two specific traits:<\/p>\n

High initial vigour:<\/p>\n

The plants grew rapidly and strongly right at the beginning of the season.<\/p>\n

Early maturation:<\/p>\n

By finishing their growth cycle slightly earlier, these varieties successfully \u201cescaped\u201d the most intense heat and drought conditions that often occur late in the Mediterranean summer.<\/p>\n

A blueprint for plant breeding<\/p>\n

By identifying these specific growth patterns, the study provides a practical guide for future plant breeding. Rather than choosing wheat<\/a> that grows slowly and stays green until the first frost, breeders can now use AI to select \u201cearly starters\u201d that utilise resources more efficiently. This strategy ensures that even in volatile environments, global food supplies remain secure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"image: \u00a9ozdigital | iStock AI and drones are being used to identify climate-resilient wheat varieties that balance high…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389823,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[343,185751,185752,185753,85,46,141],"class_list":{"0":"post-389822","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-artificial-intelligence","9":"tag-crops","10":"tag-drone-technology","11":"tag-farming-industry","12":"tag-il","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}