Water saving benefits of autumn-sown sugar beet as a climate adaptation strategy for Iran
Climate change poses significant challenges for sugar beet cultivation in Iran, where this industrial crop accounts for over 50 % of national sugar production but relies heavily on scarce water resources. This study evaluated the potential of autumn sowing as an adaptation strategy compared to conve...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Agricultural Water Management |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425002549 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850137341511860224 |
|---|---|
| author | Reza Deihimfard Esmaeil Mohammadi Ahmad-Mahmoudi Sajjad Rahimi-Moghaddam Arash Shakeri Ehsan Eyshi Rezaei |
| author_facet | Reza Deihimfard Esmaeil Mohammadi Ahmad-Mahmoudi Sajjad Rahimi-Moghaddam Arash Shakeri Ehsan Eyshi Rezaei |
| author_sort | Reza Deihimfard |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate change poses significant challenges for sugar beet cultivation in Iran, where this industrial crop accounts for over 50 % of national sugar production but relies heavily on scarce water resources. This study evaluated the potential of autumn sowing as an adaptation strategy compared to conventional spring sowing under baseline (1980–2010) and future climate projections (2040–2070, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) across 21 diverse agricultural locations in Iran. The SUCROS crop growth model was modified to simulate sugar beet response to frost damage and applied to assess yields under full and supplementary irrigation regimes. Results showed that spring-sown sugar beet failed under all supplementary irrigation scenarios, requiring full irrigation for feasibility. Autumn-sown sugar beet yields averaged 23.25 t ha−1 under supplementary irrigation compared to 89.85 t ha−1 under full irrigation at baseline. Climate change projections indicated autumn-sown yields would increase by 21.87 % (RCP4.5) and 27.80 % (RCP8.5) compared to baseline, with significant spatial variability across locations. Frost events during autumn-sown growing seasons declined substantially under future scenarios (63 % fewer in RCP4.5 and 76 % fewer in RCP8.5), with frost intensity decreasing by 4.21 % on average. Southern regions exhibited no frost events, while northeastern locations experienced the most severe frost damage. Supplementary irrigation at mid-growth stage produced the highest autumn-sown yields across most locations. These findings demonstrate that autumn sowing offers a practical adaptation strategy for sugar beet cultivation in Iran under climate change, with reduced frost risk and improved water use efficiency, particularly in warmer regions and under supplementary irrigation regimes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-aac79beaba084dd3a2907c8ea7df67b3 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1873-2283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agricultural Water Management |
| spelling | doaj-art-aac79beaba084dd3a2907c8ea7df67b32025-08-20T02:30:54ZengElsevierAgricultural Water Management1873-22832025-06-0131510954010.1016/j.agwat.2025.109540Water saving benefits of autumn-sown sugar beet as a climate adaptation strategy for IranReza Deihimfard0Esmaeil Mohammadi Ahmad-Mahmoudi1Sajjad Rahimi-Moghaddam2Arash Shakeri3Ehsan Eyshi Rezaei4Department of Agroecology, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, IranDepartment of Agroecology, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, IranDepartment of Production Engineering and Plant Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, IranDepartment of Agroecology, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, IranLeibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany; Corresponding author.Climate change poses significant challenges for sugar beet cultivation in Iran, where this industrial crop accounts for over 50 % of national sugar production but relies heavily on scarce water resources. This study evaluated the potential of autumn sowing as an adaptation strategy compared to conventional spring sowing under baseline (1980–2010) and future climate projections (2040–2070, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) across 21 diverse agricultural locations in Iran. The SUCROS crop growth model was modified to simulate sugar beet response to frost damage and applied to assess yields under full and supplementary irrigation regimes. Results showed that spring-sown sugar beet failed under all supplementary irrigation scenarios, requiring full irrigation for feasibility. Autumn-sown sugar beet yields averaged 23.25 t ha−1 under supplementary irrigation compared to 89.85 t ha−1 under full irrigation at baseline. Climate change projections indicated autumn-sown yields would increase by 21.87 % (RCP4.5) and 27.80 % (RCP8.5) compared to baseline, with significant spatial variability across locations. Frost events during autumn-sown growing seasons declined substantially under future scenarios (63 % fewer in RCP4.5 and 76 % fewer in RCP8.5), with frost intensity decreasing by 4.21 % on average. Southern regions exhibited no frost events, while northeastern locations experienced the most severe frost damage. Supplementary irrigation at mid-growth stage produced the highest autumn-sown yields across most locations. These findings demonstrate that autumn sowing offers a practical adaptation strategy for sugar beet cultivation in Iran under climate change, with reduced frost risk and improved water use efficiency, particularly in warmer regions and under supplementary irrigation regimes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425002549IrrigationFrost damageCrop modelImpact assessmentAdaptation |
| spellingShingle | Reza Deihimfard Esmaeil Mohammadi Ahmad-Mahmoudi Sajjad Rahimi-Moghaddam Arash Shakeri Ehsan Eyshi Rezaei Water saving benefits of autumn-sown sugar beet as a climate adaptation strategy for Iran Agricultural Water Management Irrigation Frost damage Crop model Impact assessment Adaptation |
| title | Water saving benefits of autumn-sown sugar beet as a climate adaptation strategy for Iran |
| title_full | Water saving benefits of autumn-sown sugar beet as a climate adaptation strategy for Iran |
| title_fullStr | Water saving benefits of autumn-sown sugar beet as a climate adaptation strategy for Iran |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water saving benefits of autumn-sown sugar beet as a climate adaptation strategy for Iran |
| title_short | Water saving benefits of autumn-sown sugar beet as a climate adaptation strategy for Iran |
| title_sort | water saving benefits of autumn sown sugar beet as a climate adaptation strategy for iran |
| topic | Irrigation Frost damage Crop model Impact assessment Adaptation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425002549 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rezadeihimfard watersavingbenefitsofautumnsownsugarbeetasaclimateadaptationstrategyforiran AT esmaeilmohammadiahmadmahmoudi watersavingbenefitsofautumnsownsugarbeetasaclimateadaptationstrategyforiran AT sajjadrahimimoghaddam watersavingbenefitsofautumnsownsugarbeetasaclimateadaptationstrategyforiran AT arashshakeri watersavingbenefitsofautumnsownsugarbeetasaclimateadaptationstrategyforiran AT ehsaneyshirezaei watersavingbenefitsofautumnsownsugarbeetasaclimateadaptationstrategyforiran |