NO-TILL CAN HANDLE THE HEAT: USDASTUDY SHOWS NO-TILL MANAGEMENT COULD HELP MAINTAIN CROP YIELDS DESPITE CLIMATE CHANGE

摘要

Regardless of your opinion on climate change, the results of this USDA study are important for farmers — especially as projected conditions are eerily similar to last year's hot, dry summer.The USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at the Agricultural Systems Research Unit in Fort Collins, Colorado, recently published results on how climate change may affect crop yields. The study superimposed climate projections onto 15 to 17 years offield data to look at future crop yields.Field data was collected at the ARS Central Great Plains Research Station in Akron, Colorado. To choose projections for an increase in equivalent atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO ) levels as well as an increase in summer temperatures, the Colorado Water Conservation Board looked at different projections from global climate models. After analyzing the information, the team took an average of the values. In the study, C02 levels moved from 380 parts per million by volume (ppmv) in 2005 to 550 ppmv in 2050.Summer temperatures in Colorado increased by 5°F. from 2005 to 2050. These projections were used to calculate a linear increase of C02 and temperature from 2050 to 2100.