Climate Change: What terrible days await the country as a result of climate change! A very concerning report
Climate change will reduce cotton and maize yields in Punjab by 11% and 13%, respectively, by 2050. A study conducted by agricultural experts and scientists at Punjab Agriculture University revealed this information. It should be noted that Punjab produces 13% of the country’s total grain.
In early January, the survey report was published in the weather journal of the India Meteorological Department. Climate change was studied using rainfall and temperature data from 1986 to 2020 on five major crops: rice, maize, cotton, wheat, and potato.
The researchers gathered climatic data from the Punjab Agricultural University’s five meteorological observatories in Ludhiana, Patiala, Faridkot, Bathinda, and SBS Nagar. Sunny Kumar, an agricultural economist; Baljinder Kaur Sidana, a scientist; and Smiley Thakur, a PhD student, are the researchers. According to them, long-term changes in climate change show that temperature increases and changes in rainfall patterns may cause variations in crop production.
According to the report, “the most striking thing is that the change in minimum temperature has resulted in a change in average temperature for all seasons.” As a result, the minimum temperature is gradually rising. The report also stated that an increase in the minimum temperature is detrimental to rice, maize, and cotton yields. Additional minimum temperatures, on the other hand, benefit potato and wheat yields.
‘Climate impact on crops will vary greatly during the Kharif and Rabi seasons,’ the report continues. Maize yields will be more affected by temperature and rainfall than rice and cotton yields during the kharif season. Maize yields will fall by 13% by 2050, followed by cotton (about 11%) and rice (about 1%).
Production declines will accelerate further by 2080. According to the report, maize yield losses will range from 13 to 24 percent, cotton yield losses will range from 11 to 24 percent, and rice yield losses will range from 1 to 2 percent. “Productivity decreases with increasing average temperatures in most crops,” say the researchers. Climate change’s negative impact on agricultural production endangers not only farmers but also the general public.