Energy and Irrigation in South Eastern U. S. Agriculture Under Climate Change

Abstract

The effects of three scenarios of climate change under effectively doubled carbon dioxide have been studied for yield effects; this paper shows the possible effects on energy efficiency and irrigation water demand under these conditions. Forty years of daily weather data for twenty-seven south eastern U.S. weather stations have been assembled into the IBSNAT format (International Benchmark Sites Network for Agrotechnology Transfer) for running crop simulation models under Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT). Three general circulation models provide monthly parameters to adjust the historical data to form new data sets representing weather for equivalent doubled carbon dioxide conditions, predicted to occur around the year 2040. Dynamic process models of soybean, peanut and maize, with daily time steps, resulted in maturity dates, yields and water use for irrigated and non-irrigated crops for historical weather conditions used as a benchmark and for climate change scenarios. We analysed the differences in energy inputs and outputs under irrigated and rain-fed conditions for historical data and for the climate change scenarios. Data for two locations, near Pensacola, Florida and Columbia, South Carolina are given here. In general, climate change scenarios resulted in a greater demand for irrigation water and a lower energy efficiency of production.