How does temperature affect agriculture?

How Does Temperature Affect Agriculture?

• Answer:

  Plant life can survive in some very harsh conditions. Temperate crops prefer a climate between 32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit (0 and 35 degrees Celsius). A frost can destroy a plant that gets too cold and a plant in a very hot climate can dry up. These factors make agriculture highly sensitive to temperature changes and weather events. Change in Rainfall Droughts and floods are notorious for destroying crops but changes in rainfall don't have to be extreme or catastrophic to affect agriculture. Changes in rainfall can also affect the soil; its consistency, nutrient level and erosion rate. These are also important factors to consider when it comes to crop yields. Higher latitudes are expected to get a greater rate of precipitation as they grow warmer. Tropical and more southern areas are expected to get dryer. Average Temperature Change In a climate that has a cool fall and spring a few extra degrees will lengthen the growing season. However, on the negative side, the chances for severe drought will be increased. Soil evaporation rates will be higher. Crop production would be even more limited in areas where excessive heat is already a problem. Colder temperatures and frosts hit either in the spring when seeds are new or in the fall when they are hibernating or being challenged by their first winter. Ozone and Carbon Dioxide Levels The climate change that humans have contributed to has resulted in increased ground-level ozone and carbon dioxide into the environment. Greater ground-level ozone can inhibit the growth of crops, and the ozone in the lower atmosphere is caused by both pollution and temperature. Carbon dioxide can actually improve the growth of crops like wheat and rice, but this can't compensate for the changes in temperature and precipitation also caused by more C02. Seeds and Germination Soil temperature is a crucial factor for spring seed germination. All crops have preferred and ideal sowing temperatures, so a farmer must closely monitor the soil as much as the air and sky. Some plants are more flexible than others, with cereals, forage crops and some hardy vegetables able to tolerate temperatures close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The shallow layers of soil warm up first and therefore can be germinated first in the spring.