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Reduced actual vapor pressure exerts a significant influence on maize yield through vapor pressure deficit amid climate warming

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Abstract

Understanding the impact of climate warming on crop yield and its associated mechanisms is paramount for ensuring food security. Here, we conduct a thorough analysis of the impact of vapor pressure deficit (VPD) on maize yield, leveraging a rich dataset comprising temporal and spatial observations spanning 40 years across 31 maize-growing locations in Northeast and North China. Our investigation extends to the influencing meteorological factors that drive changes in VPD during the maize growing phase. Regression analysis reveals a linear negative relationship between VPD and maize yield, demonstrating diverse spatiotemporal characteristics. Spatially, maize yield exhibits higher sensitivity to VPD in Northeast China (NEC), despite the higher VPD levels in North China Plain (NCP). The opposite patterns reveal that high VPD not invariably lead to detrimental yield impacts. Temporal analysis sheds light on an upward trend in VPD, with values of 0.05 and 0.02 kPa/10yr, accompanied by significant abrupt changes around 1996 in NEC and 2006 in NCP, respectively. These temporal shifts contribute to the heightened sensitivity of maize yield in both regions. Importantly, we emphasize the need to pay closer attention to the substantial the impact of actual vapor pressure on abrupt VPD changes during the maize growing phase, particularly in the context of ongoing climate warming.

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Data availability

All data that support the findings of this study are included within the article. For example, weather data and crop phenology data can be accessed from http://data.cma.cn/. County-level maize yield data are available from the Agricultural Yearbook.

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Funding

This work was supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD2300200), Basic Research Fund of Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (2022Z001), China Meteorological Administration Special Programme for Innovation and Development (CXFZ2023J057), and Financial Meteorology Scientific and Technological Innovation Group of China Meteorological Administration (CMA2024ZD03)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China

    Yi Zhang, Yanxia Zhao, Qing Sun, Sining Chen, Shao Sun & Li Liu

Authors
  1. Yi Zhang
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  2. Yanxia Zhao
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  3. Qing Sun
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  4. Sining Chen
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  5. Shao Sun
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  6. Li Liu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yanxia Zhao.

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Zhang, Y., Zhao, Y., Sun, Q. et al. Reduced actual vapor pressure exerts a significant influence on maize yield through vapor pressure deficit amid climate warming. Int J Biometeorol 68, 2041–2048 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-024-02727-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-024-02727-0

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