Cotton should remain viable High Plains crop in spite of climate changeCotton should remain viable High Plains crop in spite of climate change

If water is available and if increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrates can mitigate yield losses in dry years, cotton is expected to remain a viable crop for the Texas High Plains even with climate change.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research geospatial hydrologist Srinivasulu Ale says: “We believe cotton production in the Texas High Plains can withstand the effects of future climate variability under moderate increases in carbon dioxide levels.” 

Ale, with Pradip Adhikari, AgriLife Research post-doctoral research associate in Vernon, and Jim Bordovsky, AgriLife Research senior research scientist and agricultural engineer in Lubbock/Halfway, among others  participated in the study—“Simulating future climate change impacts on seed cotton yield in the Texas High Plains using the CSM-CROPGRO-Cotton model,”  which was recently published in the Agricultural Water Management Journal.

The overall study was funded by Cotton Incorporated with model calibration partially supported by a Texas A&M Water Seed Grant. Learn more about the study.