Abstract
ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the impacts that climate change may cause on the development and evapotranspiration of cowpea, in semi-arid climate region of Northeast Brazil. The study was conducted in the municipalities of Apodi, Ipanguaçu and Mossoró, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. In order to evaluate the influence of climate change on crop water consumption, changes in air temperature and relative humidity were simulated using the PRECIS climate model. Two scenarios of emissions were evaluated based on the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: a pessimistic named A2 and an optimistic B2. The duration of the crop cycle showed an average reduction of 14 and 23 days for the optimistic and pessimistic scenarios, respectively. Temperatures will be well above the limit tolerated by crop, which could have a negative impact on its development and yield. There will be a decrease in total evapotranspiration of 4.8%, considering the optimistic scenario, and 8.7% in the pessimistic scenario.
Highlights
The global climate change induced by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere tends to cause increment in temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns and increase in the frequency of extreme events
According to the report of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the increase in temperature threatens the cultivation of various agricultural crops and may worsen the already serious problem of hunger in more vulnerable parts of the planet
Considering that the climatic condition will be changed it is possible to formulate some hypotheses on the dynamics of agriculture in Brazil and worldwide (Pellegrino et al, 2007)
Summary
The global climate change induced by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere tends to cause increment in temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns and increase in the frequency of extreme events. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), known as “feijão macassar” or “feijão-de-corda”, is a species with wide global distribution, especially in tropical regions, because their climate conditions are similar to those of its probable place of origin: Africa (Brito et al, 2009). Considering that the climatic condition will be changed it is possible to formulate some hypotheses on the dynamics of agriculture in Brazil and worldwide (Pellegrino et al, 2007). Among the climatic elements that influence the development and water consumption of the bean crop, temperature and relative humidity stand out. The evapotranspiration of crops would be directly affected by possible changes in the climatic conditions. Some studies have been conducted in order to investigate the likely impacts of climate change on the bean crop (Campos et al, 2010; Saraiva & Souza, 2012; Diaz-Ambrona et al, 2013)
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