Adaptations in Cropping System and Pattern for Sustainable Crops Production under Climate Change Scenarios

Abstract

Sustainable production of current cropping systems during the current climate change scenario is under threat due to both climatic variability and shortage of resources for agricultural crops. There is an urgent need to improve crop production and mitigate the negative impacts of climate variability on current cropping systems, in order to fulfil the increasing demands of ever-increasing world population, which is expected to rise up to 9 billion by 2050. Low soil organic matter, weed infestation, disease infestation, low water quality and water shortage, insect pest infestation, heat stress, drought stress, unpredictable rainfall, rise in sea level, negative impacts of greenhouse gases on crops, low level of soil microbiota, low water-use efficiency, low fertilizer-use efficiency, pesticide resistance, and herbicide resistance are current issues and challenges to current cropping systems. Hence, it is a great challenge to manage production of current cropping systems in a sustainable fashion without the degradation of soil, water, and environment under climate change scenarios across the world. It is the need of the hour to adopt climate-resilient technologies and strategies for sustainable production of cropping systems under changing environmental conditions. These adaptation technologies and strategies can increase the production of current cropping systems and also mitigate the negative impacts of climate change scenarios on the soil, water, and environmental quality. Conservation tillage increases the carbon sequestration, improves water infiltration, and reduces soil erosion. Agronomic management strategies, i.e. crop rotation and cover crop, increase the soil organic matter and reduce the infestation of soil-borne diseases, insect pests, and weeds. Use of organic amendments can improve the soil, water, and environmental quality under climate change scenarios. Integrated pest management (IPM), breeding and biotechnology strategies (development of drought, disease, insect pest-resistant genotypes, and short-duration genotypes), and integrated nutrient management strategies can make the idea of sustainability feasible under current climate change scenario. On the other hand, use of decision support system, global positioning system (GPS), geographical information system (GIS), remote sensing (RS), and computer-based applications and crop simulation models can improve the resource-use efficiency under current cropping systems. Therefore, this chapter will be focused on the adaptation technologies and strategies that can improve the production of current cropping systems under climate change scenarios across the world. This chapter will explore the presence of major cropping systems in world, Asia, and Pakistan, current climate change scenarios, projected climate change scenarios, factors contributing towards climate change scenarios, the negative impacts of climate change scenarios on major cropping systems, value of agronomic management strategies such as conservation tillage, crop rotation, cover crops, water conservation measures, importance of organic amendments, IPM, importance of breeding and biotechnology strategies (development of insect pest-, disease-, and drought-resistant genotypes, and short-duration genotypes), role of GPS, GIS, and RS, variable rate technology, crop simulation models in the sustainable utilization of agricultural resources under climate change scenarios.