To explore the impacts of temperature rise tied to climate change on maize yields in the United States, researchers used a statistical model examining crop responses to temperatures and found that US maize has benefited from weather shifts resulting in longer growing seasons, reduced maximum temperatures, and farming adaptation techniques, including earlier planting of crops; according to the authors, around 28% of the increase in crop yield from 1981 to 2017 is estimated to be associated with beneficial changes in weather and farming practices.
###
Article #18-08035: "Peculiarly pleasant weather for US maize Ethan E.," by Ethan E. Butler, Nathaniel D. Mueller, and Peter Huybers.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ethan E. Butler, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN; tel: 612-625-0930, 612-229-2425; e-mail: eebutler@umn.edu
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences