Wheat crops in southern China are facing challenges due to climate change causing delays in sowing. Researchers studied different traits of wheat crops to see how they can adapt to late sowing and shorter growing seasons. They found that later sowing reduces crop duration and biomass, leading to lower yields. Genotypes with better radiation use efficiency and faster grain filling rates can help mitigate yield losses, but even the best combinations couldn't fully offset the impact of delayed sowing. This suggests that climate change may decrease wheat yields in this region without other adaptations.