• Energy Research
• natural sciences close
• AU close
• IT close

<p>Historical weather data represent an extremely precious resource for agro-meteorology for studying evolutionary dynamics and for predictive purposes, to address agronomical and management choices, that have economic, social and environmental effect. The study of climatic variability and its consequences starts from the observation of variations over time and the identification of the causes, on the basis of historical series of meteorological observations. The availability of long-lasting, complete and accurate datasets is a fundamental requirement to predict and react to climate variability. Inter-annual climate changes deeply affect grapevine productive cycle determining direct impact on the onset and duration of phenological stages and, ultimately, on the grape harvest and yield. Indeed, climate variables, such as air temperature and precipitation, affect evapotranspiration rates, plant water requirements, and also the vine physiology. In this respect, the observed increase in the number of warm days poses a threat to grape quality as it creates a situation of imbalance at maturity, with respect to sugar content, acidity and phenolic and aromatic ripeness.</p><p>A study was conducted to investigate the relationships between climate variables and harvest onset dates to assess the responses of grapevine under a global warming scenario. The study was carried out in the “Monferrato” area, a rainfed hillslope vine-growing area of NW Italy. In particular, the onset dates of harvest of different local wine grape varieties grown in the Vezzolano Experimental Farm (CNR-IMAMOTER) and in surrounding vineyards (affiliated to the Terre dei Santi Cellars) were recorded from 1962 to 2019 and then related to historical series of climate data by means of regression analysis. The linear regression was performed based on the averages of maximum and minimum daily temperatures and sum of precipitation (1962–2019) calculated for growing and ripening season, together with a bioclimatic heat index for vineyards, the Huglin index. The climate data were obtained from two data series collected in the Experimental farm by a mechanical weather station (1962-2002) and a second series recorded (2002-2019) by an electro-mechanical station included in Piedmont Regional Agro-meteorological Network. Finally, a third long-term continuous series covering the period from 1962 to 2019, provided by Italian Meteorological Society was considered in the analysis.</p><p>The results of the study highlighted that inter-annual climate variability, with a general positive trend of temperature, significantly affects the ripening of grapes with a progressive anticipation of the harvest onset dates. In particular, all the considered variables excepted precipitation, resulted negatively correlated with the harvest onset date reaching a high level of significance (up to P< 0.001). Best results have been obtained for maximum temperature and Huglin index, especially by using the most complete dataset. The change ratios obtained using datasets including last 15 years were greater (in absolute terms) than results limited to the period 1962-2002, and also correlations have greater level of significance. The results indicated clearly the relationships between the temperature trend and the gradual anticipation of harvest and the importance of having long and continuous historical weather data series available.</p>

This study examined the effects of climate change on rice production in 30 Chinese provinces spanning 1998–2017. The study used the pooled mean group technique to capture the long-run and short-run effects of changing climatic conditions on rice production. It further employed the Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test to examine the path of causality between the key variables and rice production. The study found that, in the long run, average temperature negatively influenced rice production, but average rainfall had a positive effect on rice production. The results indicated that the cultivated area and fertilizer usage were positively related to rice production in the long run. The short-run results accentuated that average temperature favourably influenced nationwide rice production, whereas average rainfall had no substantial effect on national rice production. The cultivated area had a significant positive short-term relationship with rice production, although the impact of fertilizer usage on rice production was negligible in the short run. Besides, the results established a bidirectional causality between rice output and the cultivated area, but there was a one-way causality running from fertilizer usage to rice output. Finally, the results indicated that, except for rainfall, a unidirectional causality exists between temperature and rice production. The study, therefore, recommends that in the case of crop failure due to weather conditions, policymakers could implement a new pricing policy to mitigate the deterioration of the farmers’ income. The government must also develop and implement an insurance scheme that compensates farmers for catastrophes induced by rainfall deficiency.

Le changement climatique est un défi majeur pour les moyens de subsistance ruraux au Vietnam, en particulier dans les zones reculées et montagneuses. L'accès et l'utilisation des informations climatiques sont considérés comme essentiels à la capacité d'adaptation des ménages et des communautés. Cette recherche a utilisé une enquête pour étudier les obstacles à l'accès et à l'utilisation des informations formelles sur le changement climatique parmi deux groupes d'agriculteurs (minorité ethnique et Kinh) dans les zones montagneuses de la province de Thia Thiên Hué, au Vietnam. En adoptant un modèle logit, les résultats montrent que les principaux obstacles étaient : 1) le manque de confiance des agriculteurs dans les services formels liés au climat ; 2) le manque de risque perçu par les agriculteurs du changement climatique ; et 3) les difficultés à équilibrer l'adaptation au climat et les avantages économiques des nouvelles interventions. L'ethnicité n'était pas un obstacle, car tous les agriculteurs recherchaient des informations climatiques par des canaux informels (amis, voisins, acteurs du marché) plutôt que par des canaux formels (départements agricoles, télévision, radio), bien que des questions culturelles telles que la langue aient agi comme un obstacle. Cette recherche recommande de renforcer les réseaux et les interactions entre les acteurs du marché et le personnel gouvernemental avec les populations locales, grâce à des démonstrations de communication directe et d'adaptation. Des canaux d'information climatique formels et informels devraient être intégrés pour combiner efficacement les ressources locales et les connaissances autochtones avec des technologies de pointe, afin de soutenir les réponses durables et robustes des agriculteurs en matière d'adaptation au climat. De plus, la recherche a révélé que si les agriculteurs ont accès à des appareils, tels que les téléphones intelligents, ils préfèrent les utiliser pour se divertir plutôt que pour obtenir des informations sur le climat. Les implications de l'étude sont donc que toute future activité de réseau ou de communication devrait être dans les langues locales et noter les limites de l'utilisation de dispositifs pour la diffusion de l'information. El cambio climático es un gran desafío para los medios de vida rurales en Vietnam, particularmente en áreas remotas y montañosas. El acceso y el uso de la información climática se considera vital para la capacidad de adaptación de los hogares y las comunidades. Esta investigación empleó una encuesta para investigar las barreras al acceso y uso de la información formal sobre el cambio climático entre dos grupos de agricultores (minoría étnica y Kinh) en áreas montañosas de la provincia de Th? a Thiên Hu?, Vietnam. Al adoptar un modelo logit, los resultados muestran que las principales barreras fueron: 1) la falta de confianza de los agricultores en los servicios formales relacionados con el clima; 2) la falta de percepción del riesgo del cambio climático por parte de los agricultores; y 3) las dificultades para equilibrar la adaptación al clima y los beneficios económicos de las nuevas intervenciones. La etnicidad no era una barrera, ya que todos los agricultores buscaban información climática en canales informales (amigos, vecinos, actores del mercado) en lugar de canales formales (departamentos agrícolas, televisión, radio), aunque cuestiones culturales como el idioma sí actuaban como una barrera. Esta investigación recomienda fortalecer las redes e interacciones entre los actores del mercado y el personal del gobierno con la población local, a través de la comunicación directa y las demostraciones de adaptación. Se deben integrar canales de información climática formales e informales para combinar de manera efectiva los recursos locales y el conocimiento indígena con tecnologías avanzadas, para apoyar las respuestas de adaptación climática sostenibles y sólidas de los agricultores. Además, la investigación encontró que, si bien los agricultores tienen acceso a dispositivos, como teléfonos inteligentes, prefieren usarlos para entretenerse en lugar de información climática. Por lo tanto, las implicaciones del estudio son que cualquier red futura o actividad de comunicación debe estar en idiomas locales y tener en cuenta las limitaciones del uso de dispositivos para la difusión de información. Climate change is a major challenge to rural livelihoods in Vietnam, particularly in remote and mountainous areas. Access and use of climate information is considered vital to households' and communities' adaptive capacity. This research employed a survey to investigate barriers to the access, and use of, formal climate change information among two groups of farmers (ethnic minority and Kinh) in mountainous areas of Thừa Thiên Huế province, Vietnam. Adopting a logit model, the results show that the main barriers were: 1) farmers' lack of trust of formal climate-related services; 2) farmers' lack of perceived risk from climate change; and 3) difficulties in balancing climate adaptation and economic benefits of new interventions. Ethnicity was not a barrier, as all farmers looked for climate information from informal channels (friends, neighbors, market actors) rather than from formal channels (agricultural departments, television, radio), although cultural issues such as language did act as a barrier. This research recommends strengthening the networks and interactions between market actors and government staff with local people, through direct communication and adaptation demonstrations. Formal and informal climate information channels should be integrated to effectively combine local resources and indigenous knowledge with advanced technologies, to support farmers' sustainable and robust climate adaptation responses. Further, the research found that while farmers have access to devices, such as smart phones, they prefer to use these for entertainment rather than climate information. The implications of the study therefore are that any future network or communication activities should be in local languages and note the limitations of using devices for information dissemination. يمثل تغير المناخ تحديًا كبيرًا لسبل العيش الريفية في فيتنام، لا سيما في المناطق النائية والجبلية. يعتبر الوصول إلى المعلومات المناخية واستخدامها أمرًا حيويًا لقدرة الأسر والمجتمعات على التكيف. استخدم هذا البحث دراسة استقصائية للتحقيق في العوائق التي تحول دون الوصول إلى المعلومات الرسمية المتعلقة بتغير المناخ واستخدامها بين مجموعتين من المزارعين (الأقلية العرقية و Kinh) في المناطق الجبلية في مقاطعة ثيا ثين هوي، فيتنام. وباعتماد نموذج لوغاريتمي، أظهرت النتائج أن الحواجز الرئيسية كانت: 1) عدم ثقة المزارعين في الخدمات الرسمية المتعلقة بالمناخ ؛ 2) افتقار المزارعين إلى المخاطر المتصورة الناجمة عن تغير المناخ ؛ و 3) الصعوبات في تحقيق التوازن بين التكيف مع المناخ والفوائد الاقتصادية للتدخلات الجديدة. لم يكن العرق عائقًا، حيث بحث جميع المزارعين عن المعلومات المناخية من القنوات غير الرسمية (الأصدقاء والجيران والجهات الفاعلة في السوق) بدلاً من القنوات الرسمية (الإدارات الزراعية والتلفزيون والإذاعة)، على الرغم من أن القضايا الثقافية مثل اللغة كانت بمثابة حاجز. يوصي هذا البحث بتعزيز الشبكات والتفاعلات بين الجهات الفاعلة في السوق والموظفين الحكوميين مع السكان المحليين، من خلال التواصل المباشر وعروض التكيف. يجب دمج قنوات المعلومات المناخية الرسمية وغير الرسمية للجمع بفعالية بين الموارد المحلية ومعارف السكان الأصليين والتقنيات المتقدمة، لدعم استجابات المزارعين المستدامة والقوية للتكيف مع المناخ. علاوة على ذلك، وجد البحث أنه في حين أن المزارعين يمكنهم الوصول إلى الأجهزة، مثل الهواتف الذكية، فإنهم يفضلون استخدامها للترفيه بدلاً من المعلومات المناخية. لذلك فإن الآثار المترتبة على الدراسة هي أن أي شبكة أو أنشطة اتصال مستقبلية يجب أن تكون باللغات المحلية وأن تلاحظ قيود استخدام الأجهزة لنشر المعلومات.

High concentration of tropospheric ozone (O3) causes crop yield losses, which could be reduced by foliar application of ethylenediurea (EDU). Rice grain appearance is a major quality trait that determines the milling quality, white rice productivity and the market value. Grain chalkiness is one of the common defects that deteriorate the grain appearance in rice due to its negative effects on palatability and milling yield. Whether EDU could reduce grain chalkiness in rice which was usually increased by high concentration of O3 is not clarified. We report the grain chalkiness in 19 rice cultivars (CVs) of three types: indica (6 CVs), japonica (5 CVs) and hybrids (8 CVs), observed in an EDU application experiment in the field in China. The ambient O3 level as expressed by accumulated hourly O3 concentration over the threshold of 40 ppb (AOT40) for 80 days until maturity reached 12.8 ppm h at a near-by monitoring station. Fraction of the chalky grains (FCG) in the hybrid cultivars was 8% lower in EDU than that in the control treatments, whereas no significant effect of EDU on FCG was found in japonica or indica cultivars. The reduction of FCG due to EDU treatment in hybrid cultivars was attributed to the significant reduction of milky white grains followed by that of white belly grains. Thus, the application of EDU could ameliorate the decline of grain appearance quality in hybrid rice by decreasing the FCG and enhancing the fraction of perfect grains (FPG). Moreover, there were significant interactions between the EDU application and rice cultivars, indicating varietal difference in the protection of grain appearance quality by EDU. These results suggest the need for further studies on the mechanisms of the effects of EDU on grain chalkiness.

Kazakhstan is part of the Eurasian Steppes, the world's largest contiguous grassland system. Kazakh grassland systems are largely understudied despite being historically important for agropastoral practices. These grasslands are considered vulnerable to anthropogenic activities and climatic variability. Few studies have examined vegetation dynamics in Central Asia owing to the complex impacts of moisture, climatic and anthropogenic forcings. A comprehensive analysis of spatiotemporal changes of vegetation and its driving factors will help elucidate the causes of grassland degradation. Here, we investigated the individual and pairwise interactive influences of various social-environmental system (SES) drivers on greenness dynamics in Kazakhstan. We sought to examine whether there is a relationship between peak season greenness and its drivers - spring drought, preceding winter freeze-thaw cycles, percent snow cover and snow depth - for Kazakhstan during 2000-2016. As hypothesized, snow depth and spring drought accounted for 60 % and 52 % of the variance in the satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in Kazakhstan. The freeze-thaw process accounted for 50 % of NDVI variance across the country. In addition, continuous thawing during the winter increased vegetation greenness. We also found that moisture and topographic factors impacted NDVI more significantly than socioeconomic factors. However, the impacts of socioeconomic drivers on vegetation growth were amplified when they interacted with environmental drivers. Terrain slope and soil moisture had the highest q-values or power of determinant, accounting for ~70 % of the variance in NDVI across the country. Socioeconomic drivers, such as crop production (59 %), population density (48 %), and livestock density (26 %), had significant impacts on vegetation dynamics in Kazakhstan. We found that most of the pairwise interactive influences of the drivers exhibited bi-factor enhancement, and the interaction between soil moisture and elevation was the largest (q = 0.92). Our study revealed the optimal ranges and tipping points of SES drivers and quantified the impacts of various driving factors on NDVI. These findings can help us identify the factors causing grassland degradation and provide a scientific basis for ecological protection in semiarid regions.

The ability to reuse winery wastewater would be of significant benefit to the wine industry, as it could potentially be a cost-effective method of wastewater management, whilst at the same time providing a valuable water resource. This study investigated the effects of different dilutions of a semi-synthetic winery wastewater on the growth and germination of four common crop species in a glasshouse study; barley (Hordeum vulgare), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), lucerne (Medicago sativa) and phalaris (Phalaris aquatica). The wastewater caused a significant delay in the germination of lucerne, millet and phalaris, although overall germination percentage of all species was not affected. Vegetative growth was significantly reduced in all species, with millet being the most severely affected. The germination index of barley correlated very highly (r(2)=0.99) with barley biomass, indicating that barley seed germination bioassays are highly relevant to plant growth, and therefore may be of use as a bioassay for winery wastewater toxicity.

This paper addresses the current knowledge on climate change impacts on mass movement activity in mountain environments by illustrating characteristic cases of debris flows, rock slope failures and landslides from the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps. It is expected that events are likely to occur less frequently during summer, whereas the anticipated increase of rainfall in spring and fall could likely alter debris-flow activity during the shoulder seasons (March, April, November, and December). The magnitude of debris flows could become larger due to larger amounts of sediment delivered to the channels and as a result of the predicted increase in heavy precipitation events. At the same time, however, debris-flow volumes in high-mountain areas will depend chiefly on the stability and/or movement rates of permafrost bodies, and destabilized rock glaciers could lead to debris flows without historic precedents in the future. The frequency of rock slope failures is likely to increase, as excessively warm air temperatures, glacier shrinkage, as well as permafrost warming and thawing will affect and reduce rock slope stability in the direction that adversely affects rock slope stability. Changes in landslide activity in the French and Western Italian Alps will likely depend on differences in elevation. Above 1500 m asl, the projected decrease in snow season duration in future winters and springs will likely affect the frequency, number and seasonality of landslide reactivations. In Piemonte, for instance, 21st century landslides have been demonstrated to occur more frequently in early spring and to be triggered by moderate rainfalls, but also to occur in smaller numbers. On the contrary, and in line with recent observations, events in autumn, characterized by a large spatial density of landslide occurrences might become more scarce in the Piemonte region.