Impacts of climate change on maize and winter wheat yields in China from 1961 to 2010 based on provincial data

Abstract

The impacts of climate change on maize and winter wheat yields in China from 1961 to 2010 were studied in the current paper, based on provincial data. The results indicated that rising average temperatures resulted in decreased maize yield in most of the study regions, and reduced maize production at a national scale by c. 3·4% relative to the average from 1961 to 2010. Moreover, the warming resulted in a decrease of winter wheat yield in the Huang-Huai-Hai and southwest regions and led to an overall loss in production of c. 5·8% at a national scale. The decrease of diurnal temperature range (DTR) affected maize yield adversely in the west and central regions, but a beneficial DTR effect was observed in the other provinces. The changes in DTR resulted in increased maize production at a national scale by c. 0·6%. However, the generally decreasing trends for DTR resulted in an increasing winter wheat yield in the northwest and south regions but a decreasing yield in the other provinces, and the production of winter wheat at a national scale was reduced by c. 2·9% because of changes in DTR. Changes in precipitation increased maize and winter wheat yields in some provinces but reduced crop yield in others. There was no significant effect of precipitation on maize production at a national scale, but the contribution of precipitation change reached c. 1·6% for winter wheat production.

Decoupling of impact factors reveals the response of German winter wheat yields to climatic changes

“…Besides environmental factors, quality and quantity of grain yields are determined by the crop genetic yield potential and by agronomic measures of crop management that aim to reduce environmental limitations. Despite the ongoing advancement in breeding for higher grain yields since the 1960s, the use of nitrogen fertilizers, irrigation or pesticides, the steady increase of winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) yields during the second half of the 20th century has slowed down since the 1990s in several regions of the globe (Brisson et al, 2010; Calderini & Slafer, 1998; Chen, Zhou, & Pang, 2015; Grassini, Eskridge, & Cassman, 2013; Laidig, Piepho, Drobek, & Meyer, 2014). For instance, historical yield records reveal that winter wheat yields almost simultaneously reached a plateau at about 7–8.5 t/ha in many West European high‐yield countries between 1991 and 2000 (Brisson et al, 2010; Grassini et al, 2013).…”

Warming affects water use, yield and crop quality of a potato–broad bean–winter wheat rotation system in semi-arid regions of China

“…High temperatures can reduce photosynthetic enzyme activity, destroy the chloroplast structure, and close stomata, all of which affect photosynthesis (Zhang et al ., 2010; Ponce et al ., 2013; Shen and Wang, 2013; Xiao et al ., 2013; 2016; Chen et al ., 2015; Zhang et al ., 2015). In the current study, the crop photosynthesis rate of the potato–broad bean–winter wheat rotation system was significantly decreased when the temperature increased by 0.5–2.0°C in the podding stage of broad bean and the heading, blooming and booting stages of winter wheat.…”

Long-Term Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Seasonal Irrigation Amount, Evapotranspiration, Yield, and Water Productivity under Semiarid Climate

“…Fogarasi et al [37] showed that slightly decreasing yields is projected for the next three decades for winter wheat and maize. Decrease of diurnal air temperature range resulted in 2.9% decrease in maize winter wheat production in China from 1961 to 2010 [38]. Table 4.…”