Harmful Heat: Climate Change’s Impact on Crop Yields and Quality in Japan

Annual Average Temperature Deviation in Japan

Rice plants stand tall, without drooping under the weight of healthy sheaves, when the grains fail to develop. (© Hirota Tomoyoshi)

Normal rice grains (left) and white, opaque rice grains. (© National Agriculture and Food Research Organization)

Tomatoes showing uneven coloring. (Courtesy Kumamoto Prefectural Government)

Normal strawberries (top) and sunburned strawberries. (Courtesy Kumamoto Prefectural Government)

Normal grapes (left) compared to poorly colored grapes. (© National Agriculture and Food Research Organization)

The higher the temperature, the poorer the coloring of apples. (© National Agriculture and Food Research Organization)