Estimating Crop and Grass Productivity over the United States Using Satellite Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence, Precipitation and Soil Moisture Data

Abstract

This study investigates how gross primary production (GPP) estimates can be improved with the use of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) based on the interdependence between SIF, precipitation, soil moisture and GPP itself. We have used multi-year datasets from Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative Soil Moisture (ESA CCI SM), and FLUXNET observations from ten stations in the continental United States. We have employed a GPP quantification framework that makes use of two factors whose influence on the SIF–GPP relationship was not evaluated previously—namely, differential plant sensitivity to water supply at different stages of its lifecycle and spatial variability patterns in SIF that are in contrast to those of GPP, precipitation, and soil moisture. It was found that over the Great Plains and Texas, fluorescence emission levels lag behind precipitation events from about two weeks for grasses to four weeks for crops. The spatial variability of SIF and GPP is shown to be characterized by different patterns: SIF demonstrates less variation over the same spatial extent as compared to GPP, precipitation and soil moisture. Thus, using newly introduced SIF–precipitation lead–lag relationships, we estimate GPP using SIF, precipitation and soil moisture data for grasses and crops over the US by applying the multiple linear regression technique. Our GPP estimates capture the drought impact over the US better than those from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). During the drought year of 2011 over Texas, our GPP values show a decrease by 50–75 gC/m2/month, as opposed to the normal yielding year of 2007. In 2012, a drought year over the Great Plains, we observe a significant reduction in GPP, as compared to 2007. Hence, estimating GPP using specific SIF–GPP relationships, and information on different plant functional types (PFTs) and their interactions with precipitation and soil moisture over the Great Plains and Texas regions can help produce more reasonable GPP estimates.

Impact of Global Climate Change on Maize (Zea Mays): Physiological Responses and Modern Breeding Techniques

“…Water availability in the early phases of plant development affects the final product (Zargar et al, 2017). Climate change impacts maize growth via altered rainfall patterns and rising temperatures (Halubok and Yang, 2020). Over 35 o C is Optimum for maize development at every stage from fertilization to grain filling (Adam, 2021).…”

Impact of Global Climate Change on Maize (Zea Mays): Physiological Responses and Modern Breeding Techniques

“…Water availability in the early phases of plant development affects the final product (Zargar et al, 2017). Climate change impacts maize growth via altered rainfall patterns and rising temperatures (Halubok and Yang, 2020). Over 35 o C is Optimum for maize development at every stage from fertilization to grain filling (Adam, 2021).…”

Maize stomatal responses against the climate change

“… Rojas et al (2019) , for example, by analyzing both the annual mean precipitation and specific growing seasons and areas found that reduced precipitation will impact, before 2040, maize production in southern Africa and Europe. Considering that the variability of precipitation is an essential factor because water availability during a given stage of plant developmental influences plant production at later stages of the life cycle ( Brouwer and Heibloem, 1986 ; Kranz et al, 2008 ; Al-Kaisi and Broner, 2009 ; Hashim et al, 2012 ; Halubok and Yang, 2020 ), it is likely that more regions of the globe with maize crops will be concerned. In addition, in the context of climate change, not only changes in rainfall patterns affect maize growth, but also increases in temperature.…”