Relative (actual / potential) evapotranspiration (RET) was derived using ten-day composite NOAA PAL datasets (8km x 8km spatial resolution) over Indian landmass and an operational energy balance algorithm for five agricultural years (June-May) between 1996 to 2001. This was used to characterize ‘Kharif’ (June-October) rice growing environment and its yield prediction in rainfed conditions. Inve...

Climate variability adversely impacts crop production and imposes a major constraint on farming planning, mostly under rainfed conditions, across the world. Considering the recent advances in climate science, many studies are trying to provide a reliable basis for climate, and subsequently agricultural production, forecasts. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon (ENSO) is one of the princ...

This study assesses the vulnerability of Bulgarian agriculture to drought using the WINISAREG model and seasonal standard precipitation index SPI(2) for the period 1951-2004. This model was previously validated for maize on soils of different water holding capacity (TAW) in various locations. Simulations are performed for Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and Sofia. Results relative to Plovdiv show that in...

Drought is a major constraint affecting rice production, especially in rainfed areas across Asia, Africa and South America. Development of drought resistant varieties will considerably improve rainfed rice production. Rice breeding programs focusing on drought resistance by direct selection for yield under stress have made little progress to date. Incorporation of secondary traits contributing ...

Perchlorate (Cl4-) reservoirs that accumulated in semiarid unsaturated zones, similar to chloride (Cl-), can contaminate underlying aquifers if they are mobilized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Cl)4- mobilization related to land-use change from natural to agricultural ecosystems in the southern High Plains (SHP, USA), where large ClO4- concentrations (< or =60 microg/L) are found in...

Biophysical crop simulation models are normally forced with precipitation data recorded with either gauges or ground-based radar. However, ground-based recording networks are not available at spatial and temporal scales needed to drive the models at many critical places on earth. An alternative would be to employ satellite-based observations of either precipitation or soil moisture. Satellite o...

A genome-wide association study explored the genetic basis of variation for drought tolerance and related traits in a Middle American diversity panel comprising 96 common bean ( L.) genotypes. The panel was grown under irrigated and rainfed conditions and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data were used to explore the genetic diversity and ancestry of the panel. Varying levels of admixtures ...

[1] The utility of a thermal image sharpening algorithm (TsHARP) in providing fine resolution land surface temperature data to a Two-Source-Model for mapping evapotranspiration (ET) was examined over two agricultural regions in the U.S. One site is in a rainfed corn and soybean production region in central Iowa. The other lies within the Texas High Plains, an irrigated agricultural area. It is ...