Symposium on Climate Change and Variability – Agro Meteorological Monitoring and Coping Strategies for Agriculture. Oscarsborg, Norway. June 3-6 2008. Book of abstracts

‘The Symposium on Climate Change and Variability – Agro Meteorological Monitoring and Coping Strategies for Agriculture’ is organized by the Management Committee of COST734’ Impact of Climate Change and Variability on European Agriculture’ and the Commission for Agricultural Meteorology (CAgM) of WMO. The content of the symposium is closely connected to the themes of the working groups of COST734 and the term of reference of the ‘WMO Expert Team on Climate Risks in Vulnerable Areas” The symposium is devoted to the very important issue of agricultural crop production and climate change. The discussion is placed in the light of agro meteorology, in Europe and in the rest of the world. The event will serve as a meeting place between meteorologists and agronomists. The cooperation between these two groups of researchers is important to find optimal mitigation and adaptation strategies with respect to impacts of climate change/variability on agriculture. The book of abstracts for the symposium contains altogether 52 contributions. 26 of the abstracts are oral contributions, and 26 of the abstracts will be presented as posters.publishedVersio

A high-resolution, integrated system for rice yield forecasting at district level

To meet the growing demands from public and private stakeholders for early yield estimates, a high-resolution (2 km × 2 km) rice yield forecasting system based on the integration of the WARM model and remote sensing (RS) technologies was developed. RS was used to identify rice-cropped area and to derive spatially distributed sowing dates, and for the dynamic assimilation of RS-derived leaf area index (LAI) data within the crop model. The system—tested for the main European rice production districts in Italy, Greece, and Spain—performed satisfactorily; >66% of the inter-annual yield variability was explained in six out of eight combinations of ecotype × district, with a maximum of 89% of the variability explained for the ‘Tropical Japonica’ cultivars in the Vercelli district (Italy). In seven out of eight cases, the assimilation of RS-derived LAI improved the forecasting capability, with minor differences due to the assimilation technology used (updating or recalibration). In particular, RS data reduced uncertainty by capturing factors that were not properly reproduced by the simulation model (given the uncertainty due to large-area simulations). The system, which is an extension of the one used for rice within the EC-JRC-MARS forecasting system, was used pre-operationally in 2015 and 2016 to provide early yield estimates to private companies and institutional stakeholders within the EU-FP7 ERMES project

Agricultural Meteorology and Climatology

Agricultural Meteorology and Climatology is an introductory textbook for meteorology and climatology courses at faculties of agriculture and for agrometeorology and agroclimatology courses at faculties whose curricula include these subjects. Additionally, this book may be a useful source of information for practicing agronomists and all those interested in different aspects of weather and climate impacts on agriculture. In times when scientific knowledge and practical experience increase exponentially, it is not a simple matter to prepare a textbook. Therefore we decided not to constrain Agricultural Meteorology and Climatology by its binding pages. Only a part of it is a conventional textbook. The other part includes numerical examples (easy-to-edit worksheets) and recommended additional reading available on-line in digital form. To keep the reader's attention, the book is divided into three sections: Basics, Applications and Agrometeorological Measurements with Numerical Examples

Análisis de las publicaciones Open Access integradas en SCOPUS afiliadas a la Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá

El objetivo de este documento es identificar, listar y analizar las publicaciones en acceso abierto indexadas en la base de datos de SCOPUS de la Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá así como mostrar las diferentes características de estas publicaciones, áreas de publicación, afiliaciones, fuentes, autores, años de publicación, tipos de documentos y contextualizar el porcentaje del acceso abierto de la UTP en un contexto mundial y regional utilizando la plataforma COKI.El objetivo de este documento es identificar, listar y analizar las publicaciones en acceso abierto indexadas en la base de datos de SCOPUS de la Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá así como mostrar las diferentes características de estas publicaciones, áreas de publicación, afiliaciones, fuentes, autores, años de publicación, tipos de documentos y contextualizar el porcentaje del acceso abierto de la UTP en un contexto mundial y regional utilizando la plataforma COKI

Agroforestry Opportunities for Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Rainfed Areas,

Not AvailableAgroforestry provides a unique opportunity to achieve the objectives of enhancing the productivity and improving the soil quality. Tree systems can also play an important role towards adapting to the climate variability and important carbon sinks which helps to decrease the pressure on natural forests. Realizing the importance of the agroforestry in meeting the twin objectives of mitigation and adaptation to climate change as well as making rainfed agriculture more climate resilient, the ICAR-CRIDA has taken up the challenge in pursuance of National Agroforestry Policy 2014, in preparing a book on Agroforestry Opportunities for Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Rainfed Areas at ICAR-CRIDA to sharpen the skills of all stakeholders at national, state and district level in rainfed areas to increase agricultural productivity in response to climate changeNot Availabl

Yield gap analysis of field crops: Methods and case studies

The challenges of global agriculture have been analysed exhaustively and the need has been established for sustainable improvement in agricultural production aimed at food security in a context of increasing pressure on natural resources. Whereas the importance of R&D investment in agriculture is increasingly recognised, better allocation of limited funding is essential to improve food production. In this context, the common and often large gap between actual and attainable yield is a critical target. Realistic solutions are required to close yield gaps in both small and large scale cropping systems worldwide; to make progress in this direction, we need (1) definitions and techniques to measure and model yield at different levels (actual, attainable, potential) and different scales in space (field, farm, region, global) and time (short, long term); (2) identification of the causes of gaps between yield levels; (3) management options to reduce the gaps where feasible and (4) policies to favour adoption of gap-closing technologies. The aim of this publication is to review the methods for yield gap analysis, and to use case studies to illustrate different approaches, hence addressing the first of these four requirements. Theoretical, potential, water-limited, and actual yield are defined. Yield gap is the difference between two levels of yield in this series. Depending on the objectives of the study, different yield gaps are relevant. The exploitable yield gap accounts for both the unlikely alignment of all factors required for achievement of potential or water limited yield and the economic, management and environmental constraints that preclude, for example, the use of fertiliser rates that maximise yield, when growers’ aim is often a compromise between maximising profit and minimising risk at the whole-farm scale, rather than maximising yield of individual crops. The gap between potential and water limited yield is an indication of yield gap that can be removed with irrigation. Spatial and temporal scales for the determination of yield gaps are discussed. Spatially, yield gaps have been quantified at levels of field, region, national or mega-environment and globally. Remote sensing techniques describes the spatial variability of crop yield, even up to individual plots. Time scales can be defined in order to either remove or capture the dynamic components of the environment (soil, climate, biotic components of ecosystems) and technology. Criteria to define scales in both space and time need to be made explicit, and should be consistent with the objectives of the analysis. Satellite measurements can complement in situ measurements. The accuracy of estimating yield gaps is determined by the weakest link, which in many cases is good quality, sub-national scale data on actual yields that farmers achieve. In addition, calculation and interpretation of yield gaps requires reliable weather data, additional agronomic information and transparent assumptions. The main types of methods used in yield benchmarking and gap analysis are outlined using selected case studies. The diversity of benchmarking methods outlined in this publication reflects the diversity of spatial and temporal scales, the questions asked, and the resources available to answer them. We grouped methods in four broad approaches. Approach 1 compares actual yield with the best yield achieved in comparable environmental conditions, e.g. between neighbours with similar topography and soils. Comparisons of this type are spatially constrained by definition, and are an approximation to the gap between actual and attainable yield. With minimum input and greatest simplicity, this allows for limited but useful benchmarks; yield gaps can be primarily attributed to differences in management. This approach can be biased, however, where best management practices are not feasible; modelled yields provide more relevant benchmarks in these cases. Approach 2 is a variation of approach 1, i.e. it is based on comparisons of actual yield, but instead of a single yield benchmark, yield is expressed as a function of one or few environmental drivers in simple models. In common with Approach 1, these methods do not necessarily capture best management practices. The French and Schultz model is the archetype in this approach; this method plots actual yield against seasonal water use, fits a boundary function representing the best yield for a given water use, and calculates yield gaps as the departure between actual yields and the boundary function. A boundary model fitted to the data provides a scaled benchmark, thus partially accounting for seasonal conditions. Boundary functions can be estimated with different statistical methods but it is recommended that the shape and parameters of boundary functions are also assessed on the basis of their biophysical meaning. Variants of this approach use nitrogen uptake or soil properties instead of water. Approach 3 is based on modelling which may range from simple climatic indices to models of intermediate (e.g. AquaCrop) or high complexity (e.g. CERES-type models). More complex models are valuable agronomically because they capture some genetic features of the specific cultivar, and the critical interaction between water and nitrogen. On the other hand, more complex models have requirements of parameters and inputs that are not always available. “Best practice” approaches to model yield in gap analysis are outlined. Importantly, models to estimate potential yield require parameters that capture the physiology of unstressed crops. Approach 4 benchmarking involves a range of approaches combining actual data, remote sensing, GIS and models of varying complexity. This approach is important for benchmarking at and above the regional scale. At these large scales, particular attention needs to be paid to weather data used in modelling yield because significant bias can accrue from inappropriate data sources. Studies that have used gridded weather databases to simulate potential and water-limited yields for a grid are rarely validated against simulated yields based on actual weather station data from locations within the same grid. This should be standard practice, particularly where global scale yield gaps are used for policy decisions or investment in R&D. Alternatively, point-based simulations of potential and water-limited yields, complemented with an appropriate up-scaling method, may be more appropriate for large scale yield gap analysis. Remote sensing applied to yield gap analysis has improved over the last years, mainly through pixel-based biomass production models. Site-specific yield validation, disaggregated in biomass radiation-use-efficiency and harvest index, remains necessary and need to be carried out every 5 to 10 years

Combining multiple geostatistical analyses to assess the past, present, and future of fragile Mediterranean deltaic environments

Littoral plains in general and those of the Mediterranean rivers and ramblas, are highly vulnerable territories. Understanding the past and present conditions of these areas is the best strategy to design efficient land management plans to prevent degradation such as pollutants, soil sealing, erosion, etc. in the near and medium future. In this research, different mapping techniques (land-use changes in twelve different years using manually digitalisation and field observations, from 1956 to 2019, and pattern analysis using ecological landscape indexes), multivariate statistical analyses (Spearman rank coefficient and Principal Component Analysis), and predictive models (Markov chain) are combined to assess the past, current, and future status of the V´elez River delta (M´alaga province, Southern Spain), a representative vulnerable territory situated in the popular touristic area of Costa del Sol. We also included a demographic analysis using annual population census data (current inhabitants and projections) and a climate trend analysis (Mann-Kendall test) considering temperatures, precipitations and wind data. Our results demonstrate that the drastic urbanization, including new settlements, roads, and ways, has negatively impacted the delta area, even the alluvial plain, beaches, and natural sand deposits. From 1956 to 2019, >70 ha of deltaic area have been lost. The largest category of land-use, cultivated fields, accounted for up to 72.4 % of the total delta area in 1984. However, this was reduced to 41.1 % by 2019. The alluvial plain and beaches/sand deposits started from 9.3 and 11.8 %, and decreased to 5.2 and 5.9 %, respectively. Also, climate change (especially in temperature) could affect some spatial patterns. Predictive models reveal that it is likely that abandoned spaces, sand deposits, and beaches, will be transformed into new urban areas and, to a lesser extent, into cultivated fields. We concluded that the conservation of the cultivated lands, although decreasing in the area over the studied period, obtained the highest correlation with the delta conservation. Therefore, we affirm that efficient plans, which promote specific changes in land use, would contribute to stopping the degradation of the delta such as pollution of natural areas or soil sealing. Specifically, a plan should be developed to preserve sustainable agriculture and control urban sprawlCOST Action LAND4FLOOD (No. 16209)COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology