Climatic Constraints to Crop Production in the Red Soils Area of Southern China

  • David J. Mitchell
Chapter

Abstract

A review of the climate of southern China combined with data from an experimental site in Yunnan Province reveals a number of climatic constraints to crop production in the area dominated by red soils. In addition to the well-known effects of late summer drought and high summer evaporation, other factors include variability of the onset date of the summer monsoon as well as the intensity and damaging effects of the monsoon. Other climatic constraints identified are the occurrence of cold conditions and frost during the winter monsoon and local microclimatic variability due to topographic factors.

Keywords

Red soils climate forage crops maize monitoring stations 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Avery, B.W. and Bascomb, C.L. 1974. Soil Survey Laboratory Methods Technical Monograph No 6 Soil Survey of England and Wales, Harpenden.Google Scholar
  2. Barry,S and Cai, Y. 1996. Climate change and agriculture in China Global Environ. Change 6(3), 205–214.Google Scholar
  3. Blaney, H. F. and Criddle, W. D. 1950. Determining water requirements in irrigated areas from climatological and irrigation data USDA Soil Conservation Service Tech. Paper No. 96, 48 pp.Google Scholar
  4. Chang, J. 1955. Climate of China according to the new Thornthwaite classification Ann. Assoc. Am. Geographers 45: 393–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Chang, P. 1934. On the duration of the four seasons in China. Collected Sci.Papers (meteorology) Acad. Sinica, 1954: 273–323.Google Scholar
  6. Chu, C. and Yuan, M.H. 1963 Phenology General Science Publications Beijing 107 pp.Google Scholar
  7. Domrös, M. and Peng, G. 1988. The Climate of China. Springer-Verlag pp 357 LondonGoogle Scholar
  8. Guo, Q. 1983. The summer monsoon intensity index in East Asia and its variation Acta Geogr. Sinica 38: 207–217 (in Chinese)Google Scholar
  9. Horne, P..M. 1991. A simple agro-climatic model for forage production on the red soils of south central China. In Horne, P.M., MacLeod, D.A. and Scott, J.M. (eds.) Forages on Red Soils in China. Proceedings of a Workshop, Lengshuitan, Huaan Province PRC. 22–25 April 1991 ACIAR proceedings No 38 p 22–28.Google Scholar
  10. Huang Bizhi, 2001. Effects of cultivation techniques on maize productivity and soil properties on hillslopes in Yunnan Province, China. Unpublished Thesis, University of Wolverhampton.Google Scholar
  11. Jiang, A. 1984. Climate and agricultural land use in China. In Yoshino, M.M. (ed.) Climate and agricultural land use in monsoon Asia. Univ. of Tokyo Press pp. 297–316.Google Scholar
  12. Leng, S., Lu, X., Li,Y. and Yin,Y.1991. Agroclimatic resources and forage adaptability in the red soils region of south central China in Horne, P.M., MacLeod, D.A. and Scott, J.M. (eds.) Forages on Red Soils in China. Proceedings of a Workshop, Lengshuitan, Huaan Province PRC. 22–25 April 1991 ACIAR proceedings No 38 p 15–21.Google Scholar
  13. Mitchell, D.J., Huang, B., Hocking, T. J. Luckhurst, D.; Milne, E.,Wu B., Liu L., Li,Y M., Chen, J., Wang, S H Climatic controls on Red Soils of the Wang Jia Catchment, Yunnan, South China. Proceedings of the 17 th World Congress of Soil Science. Bangkok.Google Scholar
  14. SHASEA, 2001. Multidisciplinary Approaches to Soil Conservation in the Highlands of South China and Thailand in K.Helming (Ed.) Multidisciplinary Approaches to Soil Conservation Strategies Proceedings International Symposium ESSC, DBG, ZALF, Muncheberg, Germany p139–145.Google Scholar
  15. Tao, F. Yokozawa, M., Hayashi Y. and Lin E. 2003. Future climate change, the agricultural water cycle and agricultural production in China.Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 95: 203–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Tao, S. 1948. The mean surface air circulation over China. Collected Sci. Papers (Meteorology) Acad. Sinica, Beijing 1954: 575–583.Google Scholar
  17. Tao, S. 1980. Severe rainstorms in China. Beijing Science Press pp. 225 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
  18. Tao, S. 1984. The climate of China In Physical Geography of China. Beijing Science Press pp. 161 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
  19. Tao, S. 1986. The summer monsoon in eastern Asia. Unpublished paper presented at the German-Chinese Workshop on The climate of China. Institute of Geogr. Mainz University, FRG.Google Scholar
  20. Thomas, A. 2000. Climatic changes in yield index and soil water deficit trends in China. Agric. For. Meteorol. 102, 71–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Thornthwaite, C. W. 1948. An approach toward a rational classification of climate. Geograph. Rev. 38: 54–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Thompson, B.W. 1951. An essay on the general air circulation of the atmosphere over southeast Asia and west Pacific Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 77: 569–579.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Tu, C. and Hwang, S. 1945. The advance and retreat of the summer monsoon in China. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 26: 9–22.Google Scholar
  24. Watts, I.E.M. 1962. The diurnal variation of frequency of precipitation over southeast Asia. Reg. Conf. Southeast Asian Geographers, Kuala Lumpur 1962.Google Scholar
  25. Watts, I.E.M. 1969. Climates of China and Korea. In Arakawa H (ed.) Climates of Northern and Eastern Asia. World Survey of Climatology (Landsberg, H.E., ed.) Vol. 8 Elsevier Publ. Co. London. pp 1–74.Google Scholar
  26. Yao, C. 1946. The stationary cold fronts of central China and the wave disturbances developed over the Lake Basin. Natl. Res. Inst., Nanking Meteorol. Mem., 20 pp.Google Scholar
  27. Zhang, J. and Lin, Z. 1985. Climate of China. Shanghai, Science and Technology Press of Shanghai, pp. 603 (in Chinese).Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Kluwer Academic Publishers 2004

Authors and Affiliations

  • David J. Mitchell
    • 1
  1. 1.School of Applied SciencesUniversity of WolverhamptonUK

Personalised recommendations