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Hatfield, J. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Hatfield, J. L..

Measured and Simulated Carbon Dynamics in Midwestern U.S. Corn‐Soybean Rotations

Abstract Corn ( Zea mays L.) and soybean ( Glycine max [L.] Merr.) production dominate Midwestern U.S. agriculture and impact the regional carbon and nitrogen cycles. Sustaining soil carbon is important for corn‐soybean production (CS); however, quantifying soil carbon changes requires long‐term field measurements and/or model simulations. In this study, changes in soil organic (SOC), inorganic (SIC), and total (TC) carbon; pH; total nitrogen (TN); and net ecosystem production (NEP) were measured in a conventional corn‐soybean rotation in central Iowa. Soil samples ( n = 42; 0–120 cm depth) were collected from two adjacent fields in 2005 and 2016. Eddy‐flux stations set up in the fields continuously monitored NEP from 2005–2016, and net biome production (NBP) was calculated using yield records. The DayCENT model was used to simulate the effects of conventional management practices on soil carbon and calibrated with field‐measured NEP and SOC. Measured soil TC (0–120 cm) decreased by −14.19 ± 6.25 Mg ha −1 , with highest reductions in SOC and SIC ( p < 0.05) at 0–15 and 90–120 cm, respectively. Measured TN decreased by −0.7 ± 0.29 Mg ha −1 with N‐accumulation at 60–90 cm ( p < 0.05). Eddy‐flux NBP decreased by −13.19 ± 0.05 Mg ha −1 . Soil and eddy‐flux records show a carbon reduction by −1.14 ± 0.63 and −1.20 ± 0.06 Mg ha −1 yr −1 , respectively. The validated DayCENT model suggests that all SOC pools declined. We postulate that conventional CS production has adverse effects on C and N dynamics in Midwestern United States.

Dold, C.↗

Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Feedbacks on Crop Yields Under Climate Change

A critical omission from climate change impact studies on crop yield is the interaction between soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen (N) availability, and carbon dioxide (CO2). We used a multimodel ensemble to predict the effects of SOC and N under different scenarios of temperatures and CO2 concentrations on maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield in eight sites across the world. We found that including feedbacks from SOC and N losses due to increased temperatures would reduce yields by 13% in wheat and 19% in maize for a 3°C rise temperature with no adaptation practices. These losses correspond to an additional 4.5% (+3°C) when compared to crop yield reductions attributed to temperature increase alone. Future CO2 increase to 540 ppm would partially compensate losses by 80% for both maize and wheat at +3°C, and by 35% for wheat and 20% for maize at +6°C, relative to the baseline CO2 scenario.

Basso, B.↗

Benchmark Data Set for Wheat Growth Models: Field Experiments and AgMIP Multi-Model Simulations.

The data set includes a current representative management treatment from detailed, quality-tested sentinel field experiments with wheat from four contrasting environments including Australia, The Netherlands, India and Argentina. Measurements include local daily climate data (solar radiation, maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation, surface wind, dew point temperature, relative humidity, and vapor pressure), soil characteristics, frequent growth, nitrogen in crop and soil, crop and soil water and yield components. Simulations include results from 27 wheat models and a sensitivity analysis with 26 models and 30 years (1981-2010) for each location, for elevated atmospheric CO2 and temperature changes, a heat stress sensitivity analysis at anthesis, and a sensitivity analysis with soil and crop management variations and a Global Climate Model end-century scenario.

climate change impact↗

The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP): Protocols and Pilot Studies

The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) is a major international effort linking the climate, crop, and economic modeling communities with cutting-edge information technology to produce improved crop and economic models and the next generation of climate impact projections for the agricultural sector. The goals of AgMIP are to improve substantially the characterization of world food security due to climate change and to enhance adaptation capacity in both developing and developed countries. Analyses of the agricultural impacts of climate variability and change require a transdisciplinary effort to consistently link state-of-the-art climate scenarios to crop and economic models. Crop model outputs are aggregated as inputs to regional and global economic models to determine regional vulnerabilities, changes in comparative advantage, price effects, and potential adaptation strategies in the agricultural sector. Climate, Crop Modeling, Economics, and Information Technology Team Protocols are presented to guide coordinated climate, crop modeling, economics, and information technology research activities around the world, along with AgMIP Cross-Cutting Themes that address uncertainty, aggregation and scaling, and the development of Representative Agricultural Pathways (RAPs) to enable testing of climate change adaptations in the context of other regional and global trends. The organization of research activities by geographic region and specific crops is described, along with project milestones. Pilot results demonstrate AgMIP's role in assessing climate impacts with explicit representation of uncertainties in climate scenarios and simulations using crop and economic models. An intercomparison of wheat model simulations near Obregón, Mexico reveals inter-model differences in yield sensitivity to [CO2] with model uncertainty holding approximately steady as concentrations rise, while uncertainty related to choice of crop model increases with rising temperatures. Wheat model simulations with midcentury climate scenarios project a slight decline in absolute yields that is more sensitive to selection of crop model than to global climate model, emissions scenario, or climate scenario downscaling method. A comparison of regional and national-scale economic simulations finds a large sensitivity of projected yield changes to the simulations' resolved scales. Finally, a global economic model intercomparison example demonstrates that improvements in the understanding of agriculture futures arise from integration of the range of uncertainty in crop, climate, and economic modeling results in multi-model assessments.

Rosenzweig, C.↗

Leaf-area estimates from spectral measurements over various planting dates of wheat

Several vegetative indices were analyzed for their sensitivity and stability to green-leaf-area index (LAI) changes over various planting dates and irrigation frequencies of wheat grown at Phoenix, AZ, from 1978 to 1980. Seasonal patterns of greenness showed that values saturated at LAI values above 4.0 did not return to the pre-emergence bare-soil value at senescence, and were not uniquely related to LAI over the various planting dates. Regressions of individual MSS band reflectances against LAI also showed that there was not a unique relation between any of the bands and LAI. However, the near-infrared/red reflectance ratio was stable over all planting dates and could be used successfully over a number of years and locations.

Hatfield, J. L.↗

Intercepted photosynthetically active radiation estimated by spectral reflectance

Interception of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was evaluated relative to greenness and normalized difference (MSS (7-5)/(7+5) for five planting dates of wheat for 1978-79 and 1979-80 at Phoenix, Arizona. Intercepted PAR was calculated from leaf area index and stage of growth. Linear relatinships were found with greeness and normalized difference with separate relatinships describing growth and senescence of the crop. Normalized difference was significantly better than greenness for all planting dates. For the leaf area growth portion of the season the relation between PAR interception and normalized difference was the same over years and planting dates. For the leaf senescence phase the relationships showed more variability due to the lack of data on light interception in sparse and senescing canopies. Normalized difference could be used to estimate PAR interception throughout a growing season.

Hatfield, J. L.↗

Thermal infrared research: Where are we now?

The use of infrared temperatures in agriculture and hydrology is based on the energy balance equation which is used to estimate evapotranspiration and crop stress over small areas within a field as well as large areas. For its full utilization, this measurement must be combined with other spectral data collected at a time resolution sufficient to detect changes in the agricultural or hydrological systems and at a spatial resolution with enough detail to sample within individual fields. The most stringent requirement is that the data be readily available to the user. The spatial resolution necessary for IR measurements to be incorporated into evapotranspiration models to accurately estimate field and regional transpiration or measure crop stress; methods to estimate crop stress and yield over large areas and different cultivars within a species; the temporal resolution adequate for detecting crop stress or inclusion in evapotranspiration models; and ancillary parameters for estimating thermal IR measurements must be investigated.

Hatfield, J. L.↗

Intercepted photosynthetically active radiation in wheat canopies estimated by spectral reflectance

The interception of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was evaluated relative to greenness and normalized difference (MSS 7-5/7+5) for five planting dates of wheat for 1978-79 and 1979-80 in Phoenix. Intercepted PAR was calculated from a model driven by leaf area index and stage of growth. Linear relationships were found between greenness and normalized difference with a separate model representing growth and senescence of the crop. Normalized difference was a significantly better model and would be easier to apply than the empirically derived greenness parameter. For the leaf area growth portion of the season the model between PAR interception and normalized difference was the same over years, however, for the leaf senescence the models showed more variability due to the lack of data on measured interception in sparse canopies. Normalized difference could be used to estimate PAR interception directly for crop growth models.

Hatfield, J. L.↗

Variability of surface temperature in agricultural fields of central California

In an attempt to evaluate the relationship between hand-held infrared thermometers and aircraft thermal scanners in near-level terrain and to quantify the variability of surface temperatures within individual fields, ground-based and aircraft thermal sensor measurements were made along a 50-km transect on 3 May 1979 and a 20-km transect on 7 August 1980. These comparisons were made on fields near Davis, California. Agreement was within 1 C for fields covered with vegetation and 3.6 C for bare, dry fields. The variability within fields was larger for bare, dry fields than for vegetatively covered fields. In 1980, with improvements in the collection of ground truth data, the agreement was within 1 C for a variety of fields.

Hatfield, J. L.↗

Spectral behavior of wheat yield variety trials

Little variation between varieties is seen at jointing, but the variability is found to increase during grain filling and decline again at maturity. No relationship is found between spectral response and yield, and when yields are segregated into various classes the spectral response is the same. Spring and winter nurseries are found to separate during the reproductive stage because of differences in dates of heading and maturity, but they exhibit similar spectral responses. The transformed normalized difference is at a minimum after the maximum grain weight occurs and the leaves begin to brown and fall off. These data of 100% ground cover demonstrate that it is not possible to predict grain yield from only spectral data. This, however, may not apply when reduced yields are caused by less-than-full ground cover

Hatfield, J. L.↗

Multilevel measurements of surface temperature over undulating terrain planted to barley

A ground and aircraft program was conducted to extend ground based methods for measuring soil moisture and crop water stress to aircraft and satellite altitudes. A 260ha agricultural field in California was used over the 1977-78 growing season. For cloud free days ground based temperature measurements over bare soil were related to soil moisture content. Water stress resulted from too much water, not from lack of it, as was expected. A theoretical examination of the canopy air temperature difference as affected by vapor pressure deficit and net radiation was developed. This analysis shows why surface temperatures delineate crop water stress under conditions of low humidity, but not under high humidity conditions. Multilevel temperatures acquired from the ground, low and high altitude aircraft, and the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) spacecraft were compared for two day and one night overpasses. The U-2 and low altitude temperatures were within 0.5 C. The HCMM data were analyzed using both the pre- and post-launch calibrations, with the former being considerably closer in agreement with the aircraft data than the latter.

Reginato, R. J.↗

Spatial variability of surface temperature as related to cropping practice with implications for irrigation management

Crop stress measured using thermal infrared emission is evaluated with the stress-degree-day (SDD) concept. Throughout the season, the accumulation of SDD during the reproductive stage of growth is inversely related to yield. This relationship is shown for durum wheat, hard red winter wheat, barley, grain sorghum and soybeans. It is noted that SDD can be used to schedule irrigations for maximizing yields and for applying remotely sensed data to management of water resources. An airborne flight with a thermal-IR scanner was used to examine the variability in temperature that may exist from one field to another and to determine realistic within-field temperature variations. It was found that the airborne and the ground-based data agreed very well and that there was less variability in the fields that were completely covered with crops than those of bare soil.

Hatfield, J. L.↗

Equivalence of airborne and ground-acquired wheat canopy temperatures

The relationship between airborne and ground-based measurements of soil and crop canopy temperatures is investigated for a partial crop canopy. Daily ground-based measurements using a wide-field-of-view radiometer oriented towards the nadir at a height of 1.5 m and airborne thermal imagery at two-week intervals were obtained throughout the entire growing season of a stand of wheat. When corrected for atmospheric effects, the airborne measurements were found to be virtually identical to ground-based measurements, with a regression line slope of 0.985, a standard deviation of 1.8 C and a correlation coefficient of 0.97.

Millard, J. P.↗