Using Improved Varieties of Pearl Millet in Rainfed Agriculture in Response to Climate Change: A Case Study in the Tillabéri Region in Niger (original) (raw)
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In semi-arid regions, climate change has affected crop growing season length and sowing time, potentially causing low yield of the rainfed staple crop pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) and food insecurity among smallholder farmers. In this study, we used 1994–2023 rainfall data from Namibia's semi-arid North-Central Region (NCR), receiving November–April summer rainfall, to analyze rainfall patterns and trends and their implications on the growing season to propose climate adaptation options for the region. The results revealed high annual and monthly rainfall variabilities, with nonsignificant negative trends for November–February rainfalls, implying a shortening growing season. Furthermore, we determined the effects of sowing date on grain yields of the early-maturing Okashana-2 and local landrace Kantana pearl millet varieties and the optimal sowing window for the region, using data from a two-year split-plot field experiment conducted at the University of Namibia-Ogongo C...
Environmental Research Letters, 2013
Sub-Saharan West Africa is a vulnerable region where a better quantification and understanding of the impact of climate change on crop yields is urgently needed. Here, we have applied the process-based crop model SARRA-H calibrated and validated over multi-year field trials and surveys at eight contrasting sites in terms of climate and agricultural practices in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The model gives a reasonable correlation with observed yields of sorghum and millet under a range of cultivars and traditional crop management practices. We applied the model to more than 7000 simulations of yields of sorghum and millet for 35 stations across West Africa and under very different future climate conditions. We took into account 35 possible climate scenarios by combining precipitation anomalies from −20% to 20% and temperature anomalies from +0 to +6 • C.
International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences
Agriculture in Mali is vulnerable to climate change. Rainfall remains uncertain for the future, while the increase in temperature is almost a certainty. The objective of this present study was to assess the performance of DSSAT model in simulating the yield of two millet varieties in two agro-ecological zones of Mali under different scenarios of climate change.The performance of two millet varieties in two agro-ecological zones of Mali was assessed using Decision Support System for Agro-Technology Transfer (DSSAT) model under different climate scenarios. Two year experiments were therefore conducted at The Agricultural Research Station of Sotuba located in Sudanian zone and Cinzana in Sahelian zone according to a randomised complete block design with 4 replications. The treatments included Control, Manure 23:10:17 (5000 kg/ha) NPK 15: 15: 15 (50 kg/ha) and NPK+Manure. DSSAT model was used to simulate crop grain yields under two different weather conditions (historical and future). Millet grain yields were higher under the simulations with historical weather data than the simulations with climate change scenarios. Simulation of climate change effects on millet grain yield showed that all scenarios underestimated crop yield compared to the baseline for all treatments and all varieties (CHO, Sanioni, Sosat and IBV8001) All of the varieties showed lowest grain yields under the four treatments for ACCESS1-0 (Hot-Wet) among the scenarios. Based on these findings, it is suggested that, policy should be developed to enhance farmers' adaptation strategies in the Sudanian and Sahelian zones of Mali.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2019
Climate change adversely affects food security all over the world, especially in developing countries where the increasing population is confronting food insecurity and malnutrition. Crop models can assist stakeholders for assessment of climate change in current and future agricultural production systems. The aim of this study was to use of system analysis approach through CSM-CERES-Millet model to quantify climate change and its impact on pearl millet under arid and semi-arid climatic conditions of Punjab, Pakistan. Calibration and evaluation of CERES-Millet were performed with the field observations for pearl millet hybrid 86M86. Mid-century (2040-2069) climate change scenarios for representative concentration pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP 8.5 were generated based on an ensemble of selected five general circulation models (GCMs). The model was calibrated with optimum treatment (15-cm plant spacing and 200 kg N ha −1) using field observations on phenology, growth and grain yield. Thereafter, pearl millet cultivar was evaluated with remaining treatments of plant spacing and nitrogen during 2015 and 2016 in Faisalabad and Layyah. The CERES-Millet model was calibrated very well and predicted the grain yield with 1.14% error. Model valuation results showed that there was a close agreement between the observed and simulated values of grain yield with RMSE ranging from 172 to 193 kg ha −1. The results of future climate scenarios revealed that there would be an increase in T min (2.8°C and 2.9°C, respectively, for the semi-arid and arid environment) and T max (2.5°C and 2.7°C, respectively, for the semi-arid and arid environment) under RCP4.5. For RCP8.5, there would be an increase of 4°C in T min for the semi-arid and arid environment and an increase of 3.7°C and 3.9°C in T max , respectively, for the semi-arid and arid environment. The impacts of climate changes showed that pearl millet yield would be reduced by 7 to 10% under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5 in Faisalabad and 10 to 13% in Layyah under RCP 4.5 and 8.5 for mid-century. So, CSM-CERES-Millet is a useful tool in assessing the climate change impacts.
An assessment of yield gains under climate change due to genetic modification of pearl millet
Science of The Total Environment, 2017
• Climate change will adversely impact pearl millet yields in India and West Africa. • Changing crop maturity duration did not benefit crop yields at the warmer sites. • Drought and heat tolerance traits increased yields at the dry and warmer sites. • Millet model was useful to assess benefits of genetic traits under climate change.
Sustainability, 2019
Drought and heat-tolerant crops, such as Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), are priority crops for fighting hunger in semi-arid regions. Assessing its performance under future climate scenarios is critical for determining its resilience and sustainability. Field experiments were conducted over two consecutive seasons (2015/2016 and 2016/2017) to determine the yield responses of the crop (pearl millet variety “Okoa”) to microdose fertilizer application in a semi-arid region of Tanzania. Data from the experiment were used to calibrate and validate the DSSAT model (CERES Millet). Subsequently, the model evaluated synthetic climate change scenarios for temperature increments and precipitation changes based on historic observations (2010–2018). Temperature increases of +0.5 to +3.0 °C (from baseline), under non-fertilized (NF) and fertilizer microdose (MD) conditions were used to evaluate nine planting dates of pearl millet from early (5 December) to late planting (25 February), based on...
Effect of Temperature and Rainfall Variation on Millet Crop Yield in Sudan
Mohammed Abduelhamed Abboh Adam, 2020
The issue of millet production due to the effects of fluctuating temperatures and rainfall fluctuations, while increasing demand for millet by the growing population is a major challenge in Sudan. This study targets and focuses on the analysis of the millet, temperatures, and rainfall data and finding optimal parameters to maximize the millet production using Multiple Linear Regression method to find impacts of climate change factors on millet production and how to mitigate the effects. Secondary data was used during this study, by input temperature and rainfall data, and millet crop production trends, as investigations provided annual yields under various climate change factors for a period of six years, the study showed that in some Years production was affected by climate factors. The results of the study concluded that fluctuation of temperature and rainfall has little effect on production as the crop has the ability to adapt, however the study recommended optimal temperatures and optimal rainfall in order to achieve optimal production, as the study concluded that there are other factors that led to lower production within the study period.
Millets for Food Security in the Context of Climate Change: A Review
Sustainability
A growing population means an ever-increasing demand for food. This global concern has led to antagonism over resources such as water and soil. Climate change can directly influence the quality and availability of these resources, thereby adversely affecting our food systems and crop productivity, especially of major cereals such as rice, wheat and maize. In this review, we have looked at the availability of resources such as water and soil based on several modeling scenarios in different regions of the world. Most of these models predict that there will be a reduction in production rates of various cereal crops. Furthermore, all the major cereal crops are known to have a higher contribution to global warming than alternative crops such as millets which should be considered in mitigating global food insecurity. In this study, we have used the data to predict which regions of the world are most adversely affected by climate change and how the cultivation of millets and other crops could aid in the reduction of stress on environmental resources.
Agronomy, 2021
It is projected that, on average, annual temperature will increase between 2 °C to 6 °C under high emission scenarios by the end of the 21st century, with serious consequences in food and nutrition security, especially within semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to investigate the impact of historical long-term climate (temperature and rainfall) variables on the yield of five major crops viz., sorghum, sesame, cotton, sunflower, and millet in Gedaref state, Sudan over the last 35 years. Mann–Kendall trend analysis was used to determine the existing positive or negative trends in temperature and rainfall, while simple linear regression was used to assess trends in crop yield over time. The first difference approach was used to remove the effect of non-climatic factors on crop yield. On the other hand, the standardized anomaly index was calculated to assess the variability in both rainfall and temperature over the study period (i.e., 35 years). Correlation and mul...