Science· 2014Q1
Greater Sensitivity to Drought Accompanies Maize Yield Increase in the U.S. Midwest
- 1,118citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Maize yields in the U.S. Midwest have become more sensitive to drought, even as overall yields have increased. This heightened sensitivity is linked to agronomic changes like higher sowing densities, which boost average yields but not resilience to dry conditions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Maize yield sensitivity to drought has increased in the U.S. Midwest.
- Higher sowing densities are identified as a key driver of this increased sensitivity.
- Agronomic changes boost average yields but do not decrease drought sensitivity.
- Cultivar improvements and increased CO2 did not offset the trend towards greater drought sensitivity.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
A key question for climate change adaptation is whether existing cropping systems can become less sensitive to climate variations. We use a field-level data set on maize and soybean yields in the central United States for 1995 through 2012 to examine changes in drought sensitivity. Although yields have increased in absolute value under all levels of stress for both crops, the sensitivity of maize yields to drought stress associated with high vapor pressure deficits has increased. The greater sensitivity has occurred despite cultivar improvements and increased carbon dioxide and reflects the agronomic trend toward higher sowing densities. The results suggest that agronomic changes tend to translate improved drought tolerance of plants to higher average yields but not to decreasing drought sensitivity of yields at the field scale.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Agronomy and Crop Science
Agronomy and Crop ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences