Crops
-
One of the big questions in determining the impacts of changing climate on crops is the effect called “carbon dioxide fertilization”. In test plots under higher CO2 levels, some crops do better with more carbon dioxide, leading to higher yields. The key is that it depends…on crop, water availability, and temperature. Some crops like rain-fed…
-
In a previous post I noted some of the areas of the world that were feeling the effect of El Niño in contributing to regional droughts. Today I highlight the impact of heavy rains (also affected by El Niño) that are hurting the harvest of crops around the world. According to AgWeb here, “Argentina, the top…
-
Andy Shirley of Mitchell County in southwest Georgia reported today on his blog that watermelon seedlings are having a hard time developing due to the presence of Pythium, a fungal pathogen that is affecting the roots. He says that they used to see more of it when seeds were directly sown, but now that they…
-
Southeast Farm Press had an interesting article in their newsletter this week from Todd David of the University of Kentucky Extension comparing farming in the South to farming in the Midwest. In the article he says that “The lower yield potential and greater yield risk reduces land value appreciation in the South and limits the…
-
AgWeb published an article in late March describing the changes that have occurred in growing season across the US since 1980, including graphs of both spring and fall frost changes and length of growing season. You can read it here. They attribute the changes to increasing temperatures over that time period. The article also relates the…
-
As you know from previous posts, El Niño can cause a variety of climate anomalies across the globe. A story today from AgWeb highlights the hot conditions in Brazil in recent weeks and its impacts on Brazil’s corn crop, which is often planted as a second crop behind soybeans. In the map below of global El…
-
Growing Georgia reprinted a press release from AgPR today which has a good discussion about how the weather conditions associated with El Niño and La Niña affect nitrogen availability in the soil. While it’s commercial in nature, the post contains useful information for those who are planning nitrogen applications and budgeting for coming years. You…