Research on the Relationship between Meteorological Factors and Yields of Winter Wheat and Summer Maize in North China Plain

Abstract

Research on the relationship between meteorological factors and crop yield is helpful to understand the mechanism of weather impacting on yield, it is significant for timely and accurate responsing to climate change. Based on the observational data in 1980-2002 from 43 national agro-meteorological observation stations in North China Plain, using the Agro-Meteorological yield estimated model, as well as correlation analysis and multiple regression, to analyze the relationship between the sunshine hours, average temperature, precipitation and the yields of winter wheat and summer maize. The results show that: July is an important period for summer maize in North China Plain, sunshine hours and average temperature in early May, average temperature in mid-August, and sunshine hours in late August are also key meteorological factors affecting yield of summer maize; precipitation in mid-November, sunshine hours, average temperature and precipitation in mid-January, and average temperature in early March are key meteorological factors affecting yield of winter wheat; precipitation is the greatest impact on winter wheat yield, followed by average temperature and sunshine hours; sunshine hours is the greatest impact on summer maize yield, followed by precipitation and average temperature; winter wheat is more vulnerable by the impact of meteorological factors than summer maize.