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Advances in Sustainable Agriculture Progress under Climate Change

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water, Agriculture and Aquaculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 23086

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: climatology; agrometeorology; rainfall; drought; water footprint

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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI) of University of Florence, Piazzale delle Cascine, 18, 50144 Firenze FI, Italy
Interests: agronomy; vegetable production; precision agriculture; plant nutrition; nutrient uptake; nutrient requirements; water requirements; evapotranspiration; water quality; irrigation; cropping system; soil fertility; soil hydrology; soil water erosion; remediation of polluted soil
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Along with the population growth and general aspiration to direct the alimentation to healthy dietary habits, there is a visible need for improving both the production and quality of food. Temperature rise and global shifts in rainfall patterns due to climate variation are bringing new climate conditions to all regions and posing several challenges for agriculture. The processes in agriculture production are highly sensitive to climate variability and climate changes and on the other hand, they also contribute to these changes. Food loss and waste, sustainable agriculture, and nutritional challenge are the measures that indicate the sustainability of food systems. Areas suitable to agriculture are already widely cultivated in almost all continents. New ecologically friendly cultural practices and innovation systems are already adopted in many countries for coping with risks and opportunities associated with climate variability and climate change. They are based on the assessment of the uncertainties around the climate drivers variation and their potential effect on both natural resources and food production demands. This Special Issue in the Water journal aims to show the progress addressing new technologies and strategies responding to the climate variability impacts on crop productivity, resource quality, and adaptation measures in the agricultural sector.

Dr. Pavol Nejedlík
Dr. Marco Napoli
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • natural resources
  • crop yield
  • food sustainability parameters
  • climate change impacts
  • long-term food sustainability
  • adaptation to climate change
  • climate smart agriculture
  • sustainable agriculture
  • soil fertility conservation
  • climate-resilient agriculture
 

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 1452 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Agriculture in the Face of Climate Change: Exploring Farmers’ Risk Perception, Low-Carbon Technology Adoption, and Productivity in the Guanzhong Plain of China
by Linfei Li and Yanfen Huang
Water 2023, 15(12), 2228; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15122228 - 13 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3773
Abstract
Agriculture is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing carbon emissions in this sector is essential for mitigating global warming. To achieve China’s targets of carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, promoting low-carbon agricultural technology (LCAT) is [...] Read more.
Agriculture is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing carbon emissions in this sector is essential for mitigating global warming. To achieve China’s targets of carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, promoting low-carbon agricultural technology (LCAT) is fundamental. This study examines the impact of farmers’ risk perception on LCAT adoption behavior and its productivity effects with the Ordered Probit regression method, using micro survey data from 531 farmers in Shaanxi Province, China. The results show that farmers with stronger risk perceptions were more likely to adopt LCAT, based on their loss aversion characteristics. Additionally, farmers’ perceptions of yield, market, and climate risks positively influence the adoption of LCAT, with market risk perception having the strongest effect. Adopting LCAT has significant production and spillover effects, improving the output rate of farmers’ operating farmland and neighboring plots by 2.4% and 1.2%, respectively, for each additional measure adopted. This study contributes to the perception and loss aversion literature by examining farmers’ adoption of low-carbon agricultural practices. This study sheds light on the importance of risk perception in the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and can inform policies aimed at promoting the adoption of LCAT for achieving sustainable agriculture and mitigating climate change, highlighting the crucial role of sustainable environmental management in the agricultural sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agriculture Progress under Climate Change)
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14 pages, 3380 KiB  
Article
Increasing Risk of Spring Frost Occurrence during the Cherry Tree Flowering in Times of Climate Change
by Lenka Hájková, Martin Možný, Veronika Oušková, Lenka Bartošová, Petra Dížková and Zdeněk Žalud
Water 2023, 15(3), 497; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15030497 - 27 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2442
Abstract
Climate change affects the agroecological conditions and persistence of cherry tree flowering. Detailed evaluation of minimum air temperature and occurrence of synoptic events occurrence during spring frosts within the cherry tree flowering in the Czech Republic (Central Europe) is missing. The main objective [...] Read more.
Climate change affects the agroecological conditions and persistence of cherry tree flowering. Detailed evaluation of minimum air temperature and occurrence of synoptic events occurrence during spring frosts within the cherry tree flowering in the Czech Republic (Central Europe) is missing. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the above-mentioned variables during the cherry tree flowering in different parts of the country from 1924 to 2012. Our question was how the frequency of frost days occurrence changed during the cherry tree flowering. A trend analysis was conducted with the Mann-Kendall test. The onset of the beginning of flowering and end of flowering shifted to an earlier date per the whole examined period (up to −13.9 and −8.1 days) and the period of flowering extended (up to 4.1 days). The shifts were more pronounced at higher elevations. During the period of the cherry tree flowering, the trend in change of the number of frost days was negative at the lowland station (−0.3 day) and positive at the highland station (+1.2 day). At all stations, “Ap3” synoptic event (anticyclone) occurrence during cherry tree flowering on days with the highest spring frost risk (Tmin at 2 m < −1.1 °C) prevailed. The positive trend of frost-day occurrence and the negative trend of minimum air temperature in cherry tree flowering indicate that blossoms are more endangered at higher elevations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agriculture Progress under Climate Change)
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15 pages, 3956 KiB  
Article
Monitoring of Plant Cultivation Conditions Using Ground Measurements and Satellite Products
by Małgorzata Kępińska-Kasprzak and Piotr Struzik
Water 2023, 15(3), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15030449 - 22 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1943
Abstract
The purpose of agrometeorological services conducted by various institutions around the world is to support decisions in the field of planning individual farmer works and agrotechnical treatments so as to fully enable the use of the prevailing weather and climatic conditions. However, the [...] Read more.
The purpose of agrometeorological services conducted by various institutions around the world is to support decisions in the field of planning individual farmer works and agrotechnical treatments so as to fully enable the use of the prevailing weather and climatic conditions. However, the not always sufficient spatial distribution of ground measuring stations limits the possibility of the precise determination of meteorological conditions and the state of vegetation in a specific location. The solution may be the simultaneous use of both ground and satellite data, which can improve and enhance the final agrometeorological products. This paper presents examples of the use of meteorological products combining classical ground measurement and data from meteorological radars and satellites, applied in an agrometeorological service provided by the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management in Poland. Selected examples cover Wielkopolskie Province, which is a primarily agricultural region. An analysis of the course of the soil moisture index and HTC as well as differences in the PEI spatial distribution from ground and satellite data for the extremely dry growing season of 2018 are presented. The authors tried to demonstrate that combining data available from different sources may be a necessary condition for modern agriculture in the conditions of climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agriculture Progress under Climate Change)
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18 pages, 5152 KiB  
Article
Quantification of Evapotranspiration by Calculations and Measurements Using a Lysimeter
by Branislav Kandra, Andrej Tall, Milan Gomboš and Dana Pavelková
Water 2023, 15(2), 373; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15020373 - 16 Jan 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4729
Abstract
Evapotranspiration is one of the key elements of water balance in nature. It significantly influences the water supply in the unsaturated zone of a soil profile. The unsaturated zone is a water source for the biosphere. The aim of this study is to [...] Read more.
Evapotranspiration is one of the key elements of water balance in nature. It significantly influences the water supply in the unsaturated zone of a soil profile. The unsaturated zone is a water source for the biosphere. The aim of this study is to measure, calculate and analyze the course of actual evapotranspiration, precipitation and dew totals as well as the totals of water flows at the lower boundary of unsaturated zone and the change in water content in specified soil volume. The measurements are used for verifying the results of numerical simulation. The methods used in the study were chosen based on the hypothesis that dynamics of water supply changes in the unsaturated zone is the result of the interactions between atmosphere, soil and plant cover. The elements of water balance were quantified by the methods of water balance, lysimeter measurements and numerical simulation on the model HYDRUS-1D, version 4. The abovementioned parameters were quantified for the East Slovakian Lowland, with an hourly time step during the years 2017, 2018 and 2020. The measurements have shown that evapotranspiration exceeded precipitation during all monitored periods, specifically by 22% in 2017, by 14% in 2019, and by 10% in 2020. The deficit was compensated for by capillary inflow from the groundwater level and the water supply in the unsaturated zone. A verification by measurement has shown that numerical simulation is imprecise in relation to the quantification of water flows at the lower boundary of the unsaturated zone. This inaccuracy is manifested in the higher value of the actual evapotranspiration, which is on average exceeded by 11%. The performance of the mathematical model is assessed as satisfactory for the analysis of the soil water regime. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agriculture Progress under Climate Change)
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17 pages, 6688 KiB  
Article
A Low-Cost Wireless Sensor for Real-Time Monitoring of Water Level in Lowland Rice Field under Alternate Wetting and Drying Irrigation
by Kristelle Marie S. Dela Cruz, Victor B. Ella, Delfin C. Suministrado, Gamiello S. Pereira and Edzel S. Agulto
Water 2022, 14(24), 4128; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14244128 - 19 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 7023
Abstract
The use of wireless sensors for real-time monitoring of field water level would greatly facilitate the application of alternate wetting and drying (AWD), an irrigation water management technique proven to result to significant water savings and reduced methane emissions in lowland rice production [...] Read more.
The use of wireless sensors for real-time monitoring of field water level would greatly facilitate the application of alternate wetting and drying (AWD), an irrigation water management technique proven to result to significant water savings and reduced methane emissions in lowland rice production systems. However, most of the commercially available wireless sensors are generally costly. This study developed a low-cost wireless sensor that can perform real-time monitoring of water depth and surface temperature in lowland rice fields under an AWD irrigation regime. The sensor is composed mainly of an ultrasonic depth sensor, a waterproof temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller enclosed in a PVC cap that can be mounted in AWD pipes. The sensor was tested under laboratory, pseudo-field conditions and actual field conditions. Results showed a relatively high degree of agreement between sensor and manual measurements of water depth under all testing conditions, with the error ranging from only 5.2% to 6.6% and RMSE of 5.0 mm to 13.5 mm. The performance of the low-cost sensor also proved to be comparable with that of the high-end sensor, exhibiting practically similar measurement accuracy and higher precision. The wireless sensor developed in this study can provide a low-cost alternative to the high-cost and high-end sensors and other commercially available counterparts for efficient irrigation water management in lowland crop production systems during water-scarce conditions induced by climate change and climate variability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agriculture Progress under Climate Change)
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14 pages, 3132 KiB  
Article
Distribution and Physiology of Juniperus seravschanica Trees in the Genow—The Southernmost and Arid Habitat of Iran
by Abdolrahman Rahimian Boogar, Hassan Salehi and Esmaeel Seyedabadi
Water 2022, 14(21), 3508; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213508 - 2 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1676
Abstract
Juniperus seravschanica is the southernmost population of Juniperus that has a limited habitat in the world near the equator. In Iran, the lone habitat of this species in the Genow mountains has been endangered with thin foliage, abscissing needles, and dried shoots. The current [...] Read more.
Juniperus seravschanica is the southernmost population of Juniperus that has a limited habitat in the world near the equator. In Iran, the lone habitat of this species in the Genow mountains has been endangered with thin foliage, abscissing needles, and dried shoots. The current study investigated the effects of climatic, genetic factors, and physiologic indices on the distribution of J. seravschanica. Distribution was evaluated for 450 ha and physiological indices were evaluated for two groups: (A) trees with dried branches and (B) trees without dried branches. Results showed that the distribution of J. seravschanica in the Genow habitat was influenced by elevation, slope degree, aspect, and distance to stream. Results also indicated that max temperature and precipitation are two effective factors that have the highest effects on falling needles and drying branches of J. seravschanica. Chlorophyll, relative water content (RWC), and relative turgidity (RT) are significantly influenced by max temperature. Endangered trees with dried branches had a lower chlorophyll content, RWC, and RT than trees without dried branches. Vulnerability of J. seravschanica was significantly influenced by its genetic structure. Results of AMOVA showed 83% genetic variability between two groups of J. seravschanica trees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agriculture Progress under Climate Change)
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