The Texas High Plains produces the most substantial amount of cotton in Texas. The region is a semi-arid area with limited precipitation, and it is, therefore, susceptible to climate change. Cotton production in the Texas High Plains is mostly dependent on irrigation to increase yield. The overall goal of this research was to study the interrelationships between climate change and cotton yield using correlation analysis and also to study how climate has changed in the region using trend analysis. A three-decade data (1987-2017) was analyzed to establish the relationship between climate change and cotton and also to determine how climate has changed in the area over the last 30 years. The research used precipitation and temperature data to assess climate change.The results of this research showed that annual mean temperature has lesser impacts on cotton yield, and the correlation between annual precipitation and cotton yield is insignificant. It also found out that high rates of temperature at the boll opening stage of cotton growth results in decreased cotton yield and that at the boll development and boll opening stages, precipitation is needed. Again, the research indicated that, on average, there had been a significant increase in temperature, but precipitation trends are insignificant. About 60% of cotton acreage in the area is irrigated. Therefore the research also found out that increasing trends of cotton yield may contribute to the decline of groundwater in the area.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1703437 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Sarbeng, Lorenda |
| Contributors | Pan, Feifei, Dong, Pinliang, Liang, Lu |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | vii, 75 pages, Text |
| Coverage | United States - Texas |
| Rights | Public, Sarbeng, Lorenda, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
Page generated in 0.0112 seconds