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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2015, Vol. 14 Issue (2): 398-409    DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(14)60783-8
Soil & Fertilization · Irrigation · Agro-Ecology & Environment Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Adaptation of potato production to climate change by optimizing sowing date in the Loess Plateau of central Gansu, China
 WANG Chun-ling, SHEN Shuang-he, ZHANG Shu-yu, LI Qiao-zhen, YAO Yu-bi
1、School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, P.R.China
2、Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing 210044, P.R.China
3、Key Laboratory of Arid Climate Change and Reducing Disaster of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Arid Meteorology, China
Meteorological Administration, Lanzhou 730020, P.R.China
4、Meteorological Bureau of Dingxi City, Dingxi 743000, P.R.China
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摘要  Potato grows in most part of China, it achieves higher yield and better quality in Gansu Province than in others. With global warming, its growth duration has been prolonged and sowing date become earlier than before. Therefore, to regulate its sowing date and growing period is of great significance for better harvest. In this study, experiments were conducted with six sowing-date treatments of potato in Dingxi, which is in the Loess Plateau of central Gansu Province in Northwest China in 2010. The growth period, morphological index and change in yield and their relationships with temperature, precipitation, and other climatic factors were investigated for each treatment. Results show that the crop with different sowing dates experienced different climate conditions, leading to distinct growth duration, plant height, and leaf area index. The growth duration was shortened due to a delay in sowing date. For each 15-day delay in sowing, the growth duration was reduced by 12 days on average. A significant linear relationship was found between numbers of days either from seeding to emergence or from flowering to harvest and mean temperature over the corresponding period. Dry matter accumulation, tuber fresh weight, and final yield were all decreased because of insufficient cumulative temperature over the shorter growing periods. Marked differences in tuber yield were discovered among the six treatments of sowing date, the potato planted on May 27 giving the highest yield. The potato planted either earlier or later would produce invariably lower yield than the treatment of May 27. Late May therefore can be taken as the optimum sowing time of potato in this region because the crop can fully utilize thermal resource. We conclude that to postpone sowing time is a good practice for potato production to adapt to climate warming in the Loess Plateau of central Gansu, China.

Abstract  Potato grows in most part of China, it achieves higher yield and better quality in Gansu Province than in others. With global warming, its growth duration has been prolonged and sowing date become earlier than before. Therefore, to regulate its sowing date and growing period is of great significance for better harvest. In this study, experiments were conducted with six sowing-date treatments of potato in Dingxi, which is in the Loess Plateau of central Gansu Province in Northwest China in 2010. The growth period, morphological index and change in yield and their relationships with temperature, precipitation, and other climatic factors were investigated for each treatment. Results show that the crop with different sowing dates experienced different climate conditions, leading to distinct growth duration, plant height, and leaf area index. The growth duration was shortened due to a delay in sowing date. For each 15-day delay in sowing, the growth duration was reduced by 12 days on average. A significant linear relationship was found between numbers of days either from seeding to emergence or from flowering to harvest and mean temperature over the corresponding period. Dry matter accumulation, tuber fresh weight, and final yield were all decreased because of insufficient cumulative temperature over the shorter growing periods. Marked differences in tuber yield were discovered among the six treatments of sowing date, the potato planted on May 27 giving the highest yield. The potato planted either earlier or later would produce invariably lower yield than the treatment of May 27. Late May therefore can be taken as the optimum sowing time of potato in this region because the crop can fully utilize thermal resource. We conclude that to postpone sowing time is a good practice for potato production to adapt to climate warming in the Loess Plateau of central Gansu, China.
Keywords:  potato       climate change       optimum sowing date       growth and development       tuber yield  
Received: 25 December 2013   Accepted:
Fund: 

This work was supported by the Scientific Research and Innovation Plan for College Graduates of Jiangsu Province, China (CXZZ13_0521).

Corresponding Authors:  SHEN Shuang-he, Tel: +86-25-58731193, E-mail: yqzhr@nuist.edu.cn   
About author:  WANG Chun-ling, Tel: +86-25-58699809,E-mail: wangchunling668@126.com;

Cite this article: 

WANG Chun-ling, SHEN Shuang-he, ZHANG Shu-yu, LI Qiao-zhen, YAO Yu-bi. 2015. Adaptation of potato production to climate change by optimizing sowing date in the Loess Plateau of central Gansu, China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 14(2): 398-409.

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