Future soil moisture and temperature extremes imply expanding suitability for rainfed agriculture in temperate drylands.

ABSTRACT: The distribution of rainfed agriculture, which accounts for approximately ¾ of global croplands, is expected to respond to climate change and human population growth and these responses may be especially pronounced in water limited areas. Because the environmental conditions that support rainfed agriculture are determined by climate, weather, and soil conditions that affect overall and transient water availability, predicting this response has proven difficult, especially in temperate regions that support much of the world's agriculture. Here, we show that suitability to support rainfed agriculture in temperate dryland climates can be effectively represented by just two daily environmental variables: moist soils with warm conditions increase suitability while extreme high temperatures decr

SUBMITTER: Bradford JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5635027 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature