Mitigating future climate change effects by shifting planting dates of crops in rice-wheat cropping system

The present study focuses on (1) impact of climate change scenarios on crop yields in rice-wheat cropping system in central Indian Punjab and (2) assessment of shifting trans-/planting date as an adaptation strategy to mitigate that impact. Climate scenarios were derived from General Circulation Model's simulations viz. Hadley Center Coupled Model Version 3, Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Mk2 and Second Version of Canadian Center for Climate Modeling and Analysis Coupled Global Climate Model. Crop duration and yields were simulated with CropSyst model. Simulation analysis showed decline in crop yields depending upon changed levels of temperature and CO2 in different scenarios. The magnitude of yield decline was highest in 2080 under the A2 scenario of the CCCMA model. Under the changed climate, shifting trans-/planting date from 171st to 178th for rice and from 309th to 324th Julian day for wheat resulted in least reduction in crop yields and surfaced as a practical adaptation measure for sustaining yields in future.