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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #322816

Title: Climate change and cotton production in modern farming systems

Author
item BANGE, M - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item Baker, Jeffrey
item Bauer, Philip
item BROUGHTON, K - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item CONSTABLE, G - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item LUO, Q - University Of Technology Sydney
item OOSTERHUIS, D - University Of Arkansas
item OSANAI, Y - Western Sydney University
item Payton, Paxton
item TISSUE, D - Western Sydney University
item REDDY, K - Mississippi State University
item SINGH, B - Western Sydney University

Submitted to: Complete Book
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2015
Publication Date: 3/1/2016
Citation: Bange, M.P., Baker, J.T., Bauer, P.J., Broughton, K.J., Constable, G.A., Luo, Q., Oosterhuis, D.M., Osanai, Y., Payton, P.R., Tissue, D.T., Reddy, K.R., Singh, B. 2016. Climate change and cotton production in modern farming systems. Boston: CAB International. 61 p.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cotton is used every day in the form of clothing made from cotton fiber and products made from cotton-seed oil. Wild ancestors of cotton are found in arid regions, often with high daytime temperatures and cool nights, and are naturally adapted to surviving long periods of hot dry weather. Modern cultivars have inherited these attributes, making the cotton crop well adapted to the intermittent water supply that occurs with rain-fed (dryland) and irrigated production. Worldwide, cotton is already broadly adapted to growing in temperate, sub-tropical, and tropical environments, but growth may be challenged by future climate change. Production may be directly affected by changes in crop photosynthesis and water use due to rising CO2 and changes in regional temperature patterns. Sustainable cotton production will need to adopt practices that will: increase and/or maintain high yield and fiber quality; improve a range of production efficiencies (water, nutrition, and energy); seek to improve returns for lint and seed; and/or consider other cropping options as alternatives. Crop management and plant breeding options include high yielding/high quality stress-tolerant cultivars; optimizing water; manipulating crop growth and maturity; varying planting time; optimizing soil health for crop nutrition; and maintaining diligent monitoring practices for weeds, pests and diseases to enable responsive management. The essence of this review is to summarize the impacts that climate change will have on cotton production in different regions across the world, summarize climate change impacts on cotton growth and production, document research and management practices that may help with adaptation relevant to modern cotton farming systems, and outline research approaches to address climate change.