Effects of climate change on agroecosystems

Information about the seminar

Climate change will affect climate mean conditions and increase climate variability in the future. Crop growth and development are both affected by mean climatic conditions and climate variability, therefore crop production will be exposed to more risks and uncertainties in the future. Heat and water stress are two of major climatic stressors that threaten crops.

Their occurrence and severity are also projected to increase in the future. In addition, the co-occurrence of these two stressors can lead to larger crop yield losses than each stress occurring in isolation. Yet, the effects of these compound events have been seldom quantified. In our study, we analyzed the damage generated by co-occurring heat and water stress on crops. We employ both process-based models at the leaf-to-plot scale and statistical model at the regional level.

At the plant level, our results suggest that heat and water stress compound events lead to crop canopy temperatures high enough to potentially undermining crop growth. At the regional level, crops suffered synergistic damage on yield based on the county yield data in the U.S.A. We also explored to which extent irrigation can stave off the negative effects of heat and water stress. These findings illustrate how crop responds to co-occurring heat and water stress, and what suitable adaptation approaches can reduce the negative effects on crops due to climate risks.