University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - Research portal
Gewählte Master / Diploma Thesis:
Sofia Arena
(2015):
APPLICATION OF DROUGHT AND HEAT INDEXES FOR PANNONIC CONDITIONS.
Master / Diploma Thesis - Institut für Hydraulik und landeskulturelle Wasserwirtschaft (IHLW),
BOKU-Universität für Bodenkultur,
pp 125.
UB BOKU
obvsg
FullText
- Abstract:
- Agriculture is highly affected by climate change introducing droughts and increasing temperatures. The presented study focuses on assessing effective drought and heat stress indices to monitor yield impacts of main crops (winter wheat, spring barley, maize and sugar beet) cultivated in Gross-Enzerdorf situated in Lower Austria (48.2° N, 16.55° E,148 m.a.s.l.). Following research questions were addressed: (1) Compilation of the weather characteristic of the area, through data collected by the weather station (precipitation and temperature from 1990 to 2013), by FDR- Sensor (water content in the soil between 2005 and 2012) and by a lysimeter (evapotranspiration from 1990 to 2013). (2) Computation of meteorological drought indices (PDSI, sc-PDSI and SPI, Z index and sc-Z index), hydrological drought index (HPDI) and agricultural drought index (CMI). (3) Computation of the HDH index. (4) Analysis of the relationship between drought and heat stress indices with yields data of winter wheat, spring barley, maize and sugar beet (from 2006 to 2010). Long and short-term drought indices show worst scenario during recent years (2012 and 2013). Short-term drought indices can be considered good indicators of soil water content during summer (r higher than 0.7; for a soil layer between 0 and 50 cm soil depth). The results show the different ability of the four crops considered to tolerate drought and heat stress. In particular, Winter wheat was more vulnerable to drought (r= 0.92 between yield and both SPI and sc-PDSI); then drought indexes should be taken into account for interpretation of cultivar development. Spring Barley is vulnerable to both drought and heat stress (r= 0.83 between yield data and Z-Index; r=0.72 between yield data and HDH index), and Sugar Beet only to heat stress (r=-0.787 between yield and HDH index). Finally, Maize is more vulnerable to drought than heat (r= 0.62 between yield and Z-Index; r=0.67 between yield and soil moisture). Soil moisture as well as short-term drought indices could be considered for crop development analyses. In general, both drought indicators and heat indicator can assist and enhance understanding of crop performances, to maintain stable yields under stress conditions.
- Beurteilende(r): Loiskandl Willibald
- 1.Mitwirkender: Macaigne Peggy