Agricultural land management extends the duration of the impacts of extreme climate events on vegetation in double–cropping systems in the Yangtze–Huai plain China

Summary

This study examines how extreme climate events interact with agricultural land management practices to modify vegetation dynamics in double-cropping systems. Using satellite vegetation indices, agricultural statistics, and ground observations from the Yangtze–Huai plain, the authors demonstrate that waterlogging from extreme October 2016 precipitation disrupted winter wheat establishment, leading to depressed vegetation metrics that persisted for eight months until the next planting cycle. The research suggests that agricultural land management systems can amplify and extend the duration of climate-driven disturbances on vegetation rather than mitigate them.

Regional applicability

The findings relate to temperate cereal production systems and extreme precipitation events. The United Kingdom's arable sector also experiences waterlogging and double/successive cropping, though UK climate, soil drainage, and crop varieties differ from the Yangtze–Huai context. The mechanistic insight—that system structure determines recovery timelines—may be transferable, but direct applicability would require UK-specific analysis of winter cereal establishment sensitivity and management responses.

Key measures

Enhanced vegetation index (EVI) anomalies; winter wheat sowing rates and seedling emergence; crop yield statistics; temporal duration of vegetation recovery; remote sensing data and agricultural meteorological records

Outcomes reported

The study measured vegetation response (enhanced vegetation index anomalies) and crop yields following an extreme precipitation event in October 2016 that triggered waterlogging in a double-cropping system. It documented how the initial disturbance to winter wheat sowing and emergence extended negative vegetation impacts through the entire subsequent crop growth period until summer crop planting in June 2017.

Topic tags