Abstract

TERRAZAS-MENDOZA, Liliana et al. Alteration of soil fertility and irrigated maize and wheat vulnerability due to climate change. Tecnol. cienc. agua [online]. 2010, vol.1, n.1, pp.87-102. ISSN 2007-2422.

Estimation of agricultural crop vulnerability to global climate change has usually been made for rainfed crops without taking into account soil fertility alteration as a result of climate change. The main objective of this paper is to assess the role of the integrated soil fertility index modification in calculations of maize and wheat grain productivity in various irrigation districts in Mexico. The methodology to predict the alteration of some irrigated soil properties and integrated fertility index due to climate change has been developed. The results show that in Mexico, irrigated soil is less sensitive to climate change than rainfed agricultural soil and non-agricultural (virgin) soils, and it does not affect irrigated crop vulnerability to climate change significantly. The main effect of soil fertility alteration in estimations of irrigated crop vulnerability is expected in semiarid, semi-humid and humid tropical Mexican zones, where dimensionless mean annual radiative index of dryness IHT is less than 2.5.

Keywords : geographic law of soil zonality; climatic index; integrated soil fertility index.

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