Agro-Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 4388

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Biology Department, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
Interests: ecology; climate change; soil; soil science; ecosystems; biomass; carbon cycle; nitrogen cycle
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29631, USA
Interests: nutrient efficiency; livestock diet improvement

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture and climate change are inextricably tied. Agronomic practices exacerbate climate change by contributing to increased greenhouse gas (GHG) levels, while increasing temperature and precipitation variability caused by those emissions are challenges to production. However, creative alterations to traditional irrigation, fertilization, animal feeding, and cropping can reduce GHGs, increase efficiency, and improve soil and water quality. To highlight these challenges and advances, we are soliciting articles for a Special Issue in the journal Agronomy, titled “Strategies to Address Climate Change in Agro-Ecosystems: Adaptation and Mitigation”. We encourage submissions focused on climate impacts on water use in agro-ecosystems, agronomy effects on carbon and nitrogen cycling, changes to crop production and resource utilization due to climate change, greenhouse gas mitigation, and soil carbon storage. Submissions may be from empirical or modeling studies, as well as quantitative research reviews and meta-analyses.

* Submissions will undergo formal peer review, and authors should select the Special Issue title “Agro-Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation” at the time of submission.

Dr. Benjamin D Duval
Dr. Matias Aguerre
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • climate change
  • agro-ecosystem
  • ecology
  • carbon cycle
  • nitrogen cycle

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3535 KiB  
Article
Decoupling Vegetation Dynamics and Climate Change Impacts on Runoff and Sediment in Loess Gully Areas
by Deming Zhu, Xiaoyu Song, Pengfei Meng, Hui Liu, Yu Liu, Songle Guo and Xi He
Agronomy 2024, 14(2), 238; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14020238 - 23 Jan 2024
Viewed by 640
Abstract
While climate change and vegetation dynamics have a strong relationship, few studies have specifically measured the effects of these factors on runoff and sediment development in the gully zone of the Loess Plateau. This study investigates the monthly impacts of climatic change and [...] Read more.
While climate change and vegetation dynamics have a strong relationship, few studies have specifically measured the effects of these factors on runoff and sediment development in the gully zone of the Loess Plateau. This study investigates the monthly impacts of climatic change and vegetation dynamics on water flow and sediment movement in the gully zone of the Loess Plateau between 2000 and 2016. In this study, the standard gully watershed of the Loess Plateau is investigated using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The state of vegetation in the watershed is characterized by utilizing the vegetation index obtained using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), along with monthly hydro-meteorological and vegetation data. The collective impacts of vegetation dynamics, climate change, and runoff contribute to 74.3% of the monthly fluctuations in sediment levels. The data indicate that 31.6% of the monthly runoff variability can be ascribed to the combined influence of climate change and vegetation dynamics. Climate change significantly influences flow and sediment via direct and indirect mechanisms, primarily by altering the growth and development of vegetation, which subsequently impacts both runoff and sediment. The impact of vegetation on sediment (−0.246) is more pronounced compared to its impact on runoff (−0.239). Furthermore, the impact of vegetation on sediment (−0.038) was significantly less significant compared to the impact on runoff (−0.208). Hence, the vegetation in the watershed primarily mitigates sediment deposition and suspended sediment transit in the water body by regulating runoff, thereby reducing the sediment load. This study examines the intricate correlation between climate change and vegetation dynamics on water flow and sediment deposition in the gully region of the Loess Plateau. It can serve as a helpful resource for managing water resources, allocating agricultural water, and planning soil conservation in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation)
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21 pages, 3248 KiB  
Article
Responses of Two-Row and Six-Row Barley Genotypes to Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentration and Water Stress
by Siavash Bardehji, Saba Soltan, Hamid Reza Eshghizadeh, Morteza Zahedi, Sara Zare, Mehmet Zeki Koçak, Mojtaba Nouraein, Federico Vita and Marzia Vergine
Agronomy 2023, 13(9), 2373; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092373 - 12 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 822
Abstract
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a crucial cereal crop globally, and its productivity is influenced by environmental factors, including elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and water stress. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of water stress [...] Read more.
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a crucial cereal crop globally, and its productivity is influenced by environmental factors, including elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and water stress. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of water stress and increased CO2 concentration on the growth, physiological responses, and yield of two-row and six-row barley genotypes. Univariate data analysis revealed significant effects of CO2 concentration on most traits except chlorophyll a (Chla), crop antioxidant capacity as evaluated by the activity of plant extracts to scavenge the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and on the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm). Mean comparisons showed that elevated CO2 increased certain traits such as shoot dry weight (ShDW) (34.1%), root dry weight (RDW) (50.8%), leaf area (LA) (12.5%), grain weight (GW) (64.1%), and yield-related traits and combination of significant indices (CSI) (72.5%). In comparison, Proline (−19.3%), Malondialdehyde (MDA) (−34.4%) levels, and antioxidant enzyme activities, including ascorbate peroxidase (APX) (−39.1%), peroxidase (POX) (−26.1%), and catalase (CAT), (−34.4%) decreased. Water stress negatively affected ShDW (−40.2%), GW (−43.7%), RDW (−28.5%), and LA (−28.8%), while it positively affected DPPH (36.0%), APX (54.8%), CAT (85.1%), and MDA (101%). Six-row barley genotypes (Goharan and Mehr) had the highest yield under normal humidity and elevated CO2 concentrations, while under water stress conditions, their yield decreased more than two-row genotypes (Behrokh and M9316). Principal component analysis and heatmapping revealed that two-row barley genotypes exhibited the highest stress resistance under elevated CO2 concentrations, with the highest levels of secondary metabolites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation)
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15 pages, 5204 KiB  
Article
An Increase in Solar Radiation in the Late Growth Period of Maize Alleviates the Adverse Effects of Climate Warming on the Growth and Development of Maize
by Zhongbo Wei, Dahong Bian, Xiong Du, Zhen Gao, Chunqiang Li, Guangzhou Liu, Qifan Yang, Aonan Jiang and Yanhong Cui
Agronomy 2023, 13(5), 1284; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13051284 - 29 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1087
Abstract
Against the background of long-term climate change, quantifying the response of maize growth and development to climate change during critical growth stages will contribute to future decision-making in maize production. However, there have been few reports on the impact of climate change on [...] Read more.
Against the background of long-term climate change, quantifying the response of maize growth and development to climate change during critical growth stages will contribute to future decision-making in maize production. However, there have been few reports on the impact of climate change on maize dry matter accumulation and yield formation using long-term field trial data. In this study, field trial data from 13 agricultural meteorological stations in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region from 1981 to 2017 were analyzed using partial correlation analysis and multiple regression models to investigate the effects of climate change on maize growth and yield. The results showed that the average temperature (Tavg) and accumulated effective precipitation (EP) during the maize growing season increased while the accumulated solar radiation (SRD) decreased from 1981 to 2017. During the seedling stage (GS1, VE-V8) and ear development stage (GS2, V8-R1), Tavg increased by 0.34 °C and 0.36 °C/decade, respectively, and EP increased by 1.83 mm and 3.35 mm/decade, respectively. The significant increase in Tavg during GS1 was the main reason for the inhibitory effect of climate change on maize growth, development, and biomass accumulation. However, the increase in SRD during the grain formation stage (GS3, R1–R3) and grain filling stage (GS4, R3–R6) was favorable for yield formation, increasing the grain number per ear (GN) and grain weight (GW) by 5.00% and 2.84%, respectively. SRD significantly increased after the silk stage, partially offsetting the adverse effects of temperature on maize yield formation, but the final result was a 0.18% and 0.94% reduction in maize plant dry weight (TDW) and grain yield (GY), respectively, due to the combined effects of the three climate factors. Spatially, climate change mainly had a negative impact on maize in the eastern and western parts of the central region of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, with a maximum GY reduction of up to 34.06%. The results of this study can provide a scientific basis for future decision-making in maize production against the background of climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation)
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17 pages, 3742 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Variable Fertilizer and Irrigation Treatments on Greenhouse Gas Fluxes from Aridland Sorghum
by Benjamin D. Duval, Jamie Martin and Mark A. Marsalis
Agronomy 2022, 12(12), 3109; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12123109 - 08 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1238
Abstract
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture are significant contributors to global change. We experimentally manipulated biogeochemical control points (exogenous N, irrigation) to examine management strategies that could impact GHG flux, i.e., carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide [...] Read more.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture are significant contributors to global change. We experimentally manipulated biogeochemical control points (exogenous N, irrigation) to examine management strategies that could impact GHG flux, i.e., carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) and soil physiochemical changes over a growing season in an arid New Mexico sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) cropping system. Sorghum is water and N efficient and tolerant to environmental stress. Interrogating how crop systems perform in intense heat, aridity and ultraviolet stress of the southwestern US climate can inform future management in areas that produce more food currently, but that will undergo these stresses in the near future. Water was applied at regionally typical rates, or at ~30% below those rates. Timing N to plant needs may reduce N loss and N2O emissions, and we tested this hypothesis by adding equal amounts of fertilizer to all plots, with half receiving all fertilizer at planting versus plots fertilized at 50:50 planting and 30 days post-planting. Gas flux from soil was analyzed via FTIR. More biomass was harvested from the fully irrigated plots; N timing did not significantly affect biomass. Soil pH fluctuated throughout the season in response to both treatments. Carbon dioxide emissions significantly increased in fully irrigated plots through time. Methane uptake was depressed by full irrigation. Nitrous oxide flux was lower in split N plots, but N2O emissions were not impacted by reduced irrigation. These results suggest that arid adapted crops can be managed for reduced GHG flux when biogeochemical control points are considered in management practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation)
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