Impact of Droughts on Winter Wheat Yield in Different Growth Stages during 2001–2016 in Eastern China
Huiqian Yu, Qiang Zhang, Peng Sun, Changqing Song
[Huiqian Yu, Qiang Zhang, Changqing Song] Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster, Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
[Huiqian Yu, Qiang Zhang, Changqing Song] Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, Ministry of Emergency Management and Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
[Huiqian Yu, Qiang Zhang, Changqing Song] Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
[Peng Sun] College of Territorial Resource and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Anhui 241002, China
Abstract: Remote sensing can provide near real-time and dynamic monitoring of drought. The drought severity index (DSI), based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and evapotranspiration/potential evapotranspiration (ET/PET), has been used for drought monitoring. This study examined the relationship between the DSI and winter wheat yield for prefecture-level cities in five provinces of eastern China during 2001–2016. We first analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of droughts in the study area. Then the correlation coefficient between drought-affected area and detrended yield of winter wheat was quantified and the impact of droughts of different intensities on winter wheat yield during different growth stages was investigated. The results show that incipient drought during the wintering period has no significant impact on the yield of winter wheat, while moderate drought in the same period can reduce yield. Drought affects winter wheat yield significantly during the flowering and filling stages. Droughts of higher intensity have more significant negative effects on the yield of winter wheat. Monitoring of droughts and irrigation is critical during these periods to ensure normal yield of winter wheat. This study has important practical implications for the planning of irrigation and food security.
Published in: International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2018, 9: 376-391. DOI: 10.1007/s13753-018-0187-4.
