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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Air, Climate Change and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 31331

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

1. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
2. PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Punjab , Pakistan
Interests: agronomy; agroecosystems modeling; cropping systems; farm modeling; crop physiology; nutrients cycling; climate change; impact assessments; adaptation and mitigation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change an important environmental issue is a major concern for the agricultural production systems. It is affecting agriculture in a complex wide spectrum through the soil-crop-atmosphere continuum as well as livestock production, lives and livelihoods of producers and consumers. The chief elements of climate change include rising temperature, modified frequency of extreme events, and elevated CO₂. Crop production is one of the sensitive sectors to climate variability and change. Climate change has affected crop growth, development and yield over the past few decades across the globe directly or indirectly. Direct effects are due to increased CO₂ fertilization which leads to higher photosynthetic rate and water use efficiency. Indirect effects include crop responses to variability in temperature or rainfall. Temperature variability is an important determinant of yield particularly when high temperatures coincide with flowering. Increases in temperature during the crop life cycle change the duration of the crop season from sowing to maturity. Higher seasonal temperature increases the risk of drought, limits photosynthesis and reduces light interception by accelerating crop phenological development. Similarly, variability in rainfall under rainfed agriculture is big concern for sustainable crop production and cropping patterns. Therefore, it is imperative to design strategies which could minimize the impacts of climate change on agricultural production systems and bring sustainability in the system by considering water-food-energy nexus.

Dr. Ahmed Mukhtar
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Climate Change
Agronomy
Crop Modeling
Crop physiology
Crop production
Nutrients management
Water-food-energy nexus

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 929 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Molecular Characteristics of Rhizobia Isolated from Arachis hypogaea Grown under Stress Environment

by Rabia Khalid, Xiao Xia Zhang, Rifat Hayat and Mukhtar Ahmed

Sustainability 2020, 12(15), 6259; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12156259 - 03 Aug 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2791

Abstract

The phenotypic and genotypic characterization of eight rhizobial isolates obtained from Arachis hypogaea nodules grown under stress environment was performed. Isolates were screened for their ability to tolerate different abiotic stresses (high temperature (60° C), salinity (1–5% (w/v) NaCl), and pH (1–12). The genomic analysis of 16S rRNA and housekeeping genes (atpD, recA, and glnII) demonstrated that native groundnut rhizobia from these stress soils are representatives of fast growers and phylogenetically related to Rhizobium sp. The phenotypic characterization (generation time, carbon source utilization) also revealed the isolates as fast-growing rhizobia. All the isolates can tolerate NaCl up to 3% and were able to grow between 20 and 37 °C with a pH between 5 to 10, indicating that the isolates were alkali and salt-tolerant. The tested isolates effectively utilize mono and disaccharides as carbon source. Out of eight, three rhizobial isolates (BN-20, BN-23, and BN-50) were able to nodulate their host plant, exhibiting their potential to be used as native groundnut rhizobial inoculum. The plant growth promoting characterization of all isolates revealed their effectiveness to solubilize inorganic phosphate (56–290 µg mL⁻¹), synthesize indole acetic acid (IAA) (24–71 µg mL⁻¹), and amplification of nitrogen fixing nifH gene, exploring their ability to be used as groundnut biofertilizer to enhance yield and N₂-fixation for the resource poor farmers of rainfed Pothwar region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Resilient Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems)

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14 pages, 1412 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Impact of Climate Change on Water Productivity of Maize in the Semi-Arid Environment of Punjab, Pakistan

by Muhammad Mohsin Waqas, Syed Hamid Hussain Shah, Usman Khalid Awan, Muhammad Waseem, Ishfaq Ahmad, Muhammad Fahad, Yasir Niaz and Sikandar Ali

Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3905; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12093905 - 11 May 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2895

Abstract

Impact assessments on climate change are essential for the evaluation and management of irrigation water in farming practices in semi-arid environments. This study was conducted to evaluate climate change impacts on water productivity of maize in farming practices in the Lower Chenab Canal (LCC) system. Two fields of maize were selected and monitored to calibrate and validate the model. A water productivity analysis was performed using the Soil–Water–Atmosphere–Plant (SWAP) model. Baseline climate data (1980–2010) for the study site were acquired from the weather observatory of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). Future climate change data were acquired from the Hadley Climate model version 3 (HadCM3). Statistical downscaling was performed using the Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) for the A2 and B2 scenarios of HadCM3. The water productivity assessment was performed for the midcentury (2040–2069) scenario. The maximum increase in the average maximum temperature (Tmax) and minimum temperature (Tmin) was found in the month of July under the A2 and B2 scenarios. The scenarios show a projected increase of 2.8 °C for Tmax and 3.2 °C for Tmin under A2 as well as 2.7 °C for Tmax and 3.2 °C for Tmin under B2 for the midcentury. Similarly, climate change scenarios showed that temperature is projected to decrease, with the average minimum and maximum temperatures of 7.4 and 6.4 °C under the A2 scenario and 7.7 and 6.8 °C under the B2 scenario in the middle of the century, respectively. However, the highest precipitation will decrease by 56 mm under the A2 and B2 scenarios in the middle of the century for the month of September. The input and output data of the SWAP model were processed in R programming for the easy working of the model. The negative impact of climate change was found under the A2 and B2 scenarios during the midcentury. The maximum decreases in Potential Water Productivity (WPET) and Actual Water Productivity (WPAI) from the baseline period to the midcentury scenario of 1.1 to 0.85 kgm⁻³ and 0.7 to 0.56 kgm⁻³ were found under the B2 scenario. Evaluation of irrigation practices directs the water managers in making suitable water management decisions for the improvement of water productivity in the changing climate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Resilient Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems)

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21 pages, 5306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fatalism, Climate Resiliency Training and Farmers’ Adaptation Responses: Implications for Sustainable Rainfed-Wheat Production in Pakistan

by Nasir Mahmood, Muhammad Arshad, Harald Kaechele, Muhammad Faisal Shahzad, Ayat Ullah and Klaus Mueller

Sustainability 2020, 12(4), 1650; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12041650 - 22 Feb 2020

Cited by 45 | Viewed by 5111

Abstract

Climate change is a severe threat to the agricultural sector in general and to rainfed farming in particular. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that can potentially affect the adaptation process against climate change. This study focused on wheat farmers and farming systems in the rainfed agroecological zone of Pakistan. Farmers’ data related to climate change fatalism, the availability of climate-specific extension services, socioeconomic and institutional variables, and farm characteristics were collected. A logit model to assess farmers’ decisions to adopt an adaptation measure and a multinomial logit model to assess their choice of various adaptation measures were used. The results showed that fatalistic farmers were unlikely to implement climate change adaptation measures. The variables related to the climate-specific extension services, including farmers’ participation in training on climate-resilient crop farming and the availability of mobile communication-based advisory services, had highly significant and positive impacts on farmers’ decisions and their choice of adaptation measures. Input market access and tractor ownership also had positive and significant impacts on farmers’ decisions to adapt and their choice of adaptation measures. This study highlights the need to improve rainfed-wheat farmers’ education levels to change their fatalistic attitudes towards climate change. Furthermore, government action is needed to provide climate-specific extension services to ensure sustainable production levels that will ultimately lead to food and livelihood security under a changing climate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Resilient Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems)

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17 pages, 1457 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Economic Effects of Climate Change-Induced Loss of Agricultural Production by 2050: A Case Study of Pakistan

by Muhammad Aamir Khan, Alishba Tahir, Nabila Khurshid, Muhammad Iftikhar ul Husnain, Mukhtar Ahmed and Houcine Boughanmi

Sustainability 2020, 12(3), 1216; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12031216 - 07 Feb 2020

Cited by 53 | Viewed by 13326

Abstract

This research combined global climate, crop and economic models to examine the economic impact of climate change-induced loss of agricultural productivity in Pakistan. Previous studies conducted systematic model inter-comparisons, but results varied widely due to differences in model approaches, research scenarios and input data. This paper extends that analysis in the case of Pakistan by taking yield decline output of the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) for CERES-Wheat, CERES-Rice and Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) crop models as an input in the global economic model to evaluate the economic effects of climate change-induced loss of crop production by 2050. Results showed that climate change-induced loss of wheat and rice crop production by 2050 is 19.5 billion dollars on Pakistan’s Real Gross Domestic Product coupled with an increase in commodity prices followed by a notable decrease in domestic private consumption. However, the decline in the crops’ production not only affects the economic agents involved in the agriculture sector of the country, but it also has a multiplier effect on industrial and business sectors. A huge rise in commodity prices will create a great challenge for the livelihood of the whole country, especially for urban households. It is recommended that the government should have a sound agricultural policy that can play a role in influencing its ability to adapt successfully to climate change as adaption is necessary for high production and net returns of the farm output. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Resilient Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems)

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Review

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30 pages, 453 KiB

Open AccessReview

Climate Change Impact, Adaptation, and Mitigation in Temperate Grazing Systems: A Review

by Afshin Ghahramani, S. Mark Howden, Agustin del Prado, Dean T. Thomas, Andrew D. Moore, Boyu Ji and Serkan Ates

Sustainability 2019, 11(24), 7224; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11247224 - 16 Dec 2019

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 6216

Abstract

Managed temperate grasslands occupy 25% of the world, which is 70% of global agricultural land. These lands are an important source of food for the global population. This review paper examines the impacts of climate change on managed temperate grasslands and grassland-based livestock and effectiveness of adaptation and mitigation options and their interactions. The paper clarifies that moderately elevated atmospheric CO₂ (eCO₂) enhances photosynthesis, however it may be restiricted by variations in rainfall and temperature, shifts in plant’s growing seasons, and nutrient availability. Different responses of plant functional types and their photosynthetic pathways to the combined effects of climatic change may result in compositional changes in plant communities, while more research is required to clarify the specific responses. We have also considered how other interacting factors, such as a progressive nitrogen limitation (PNL) of soils under eCO₂, may affect interactions of the animal and the environment and the associated production. In addition to observed and modelled declines in grasslands productivity, changes in forage quality are expected. The health and productivity of grassland-based livestock are expected to decline through direct and indirect effects from climate change. Livestock enterprises are also significant cause of increased global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (about 14.5%), so climate risk-management is partly to develop and apply effective mitigation measures. Overall, our finding indicates complex impact that will vary by region, with more negative than positive impacts. This means that both wins and losses for grassland managers can be expected in different circumstances, thus the analysis of climate change impact required with potential adaptations and mitigation strategies to be developed at local and regional levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Resilient Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems)

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