INFLUÊNCIA DAS MUDANÇAS CLIMÁTICAS NA PRODUTIVIDADE DE GRÃOS

Abstract

Understanding how climate change influences crop yield contributes to the forecasting of its consequences and assists in the management of agribusiness and food security. In this study, partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to quantify the contribution of climate change to soybean and corn yield. To verify the accuracy of the model, the time series regression was applied. The Central-West and South regions of Brazil were considered for the modeling of grain yield using precipitation, temperature, humidity, evapotranspiration and carbon dioxide levels between 1980 and 2016 as predictors. In both regions, the main contributor to increased grain yield was the increase in carbon dioxide levels, and the main contributor to the reduction of productivity was air humidity, suggesting that climate change is influencing grain yield. The results confirm climate change, indicating that farmers and decision makers should work on other variables that control productivity, such as genetic improvement and agricultural management practices.