Future Wheat Yield Variabilities and Water Footprints Based on the Yield Sensitivity to Past Climate Conditions

oleh: Mirza Junaid Ahmad, Kyung-Sook Choi, Gun-Ho Cho, Sang-Hyun Kim

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2019-11-01

Deskripsi

This article analyzed the wheat yield variabilities and water footprints under projected future climate based on wheat yield sensitivity to past (1980&#8722;2017) trends of maximum temperature (T<sub>max</sub>), minimum temperature (T<sub>min</sub>), solar radiation (R<sub>n</sub>) and rainfall (P) for the semi-arid condition of Punjab, Pakistan. The past and projected future trends of the climate variables were identical featuring prominent T<sub>min</sub> rise than T<sub>max</sub> accompanied by R<sub>n</sub> and P declines. Based on the past influences and the projected future trends of the climate variables, T<sub>min</sub> was the principal driver of wheat yield decline followed by the T<sub>max</sub>, P and R<sub>n</sub>. Wheat evapotranspiration and net irrigation water requirement declined due to the influence of both decrease of growing season length and R<sub>n</sub> for the first half of 21st-century, and this trend reversed during the second half of 21st-century. These phenomena were caused by different degree of climate warming between the two-time slices. Due to future wheat yield decline and a gradual rise in green water scarcity the blue and grey water footprints rise consistently particularly during 2nd-time slices. CO<sub>2</sub> enrichment showed limited mitigation potential of nullifying the warming-induced threats on future wheat yield and water footprints.