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Spatial Distributions of Yield Gaps and Production Increase Potentials of Spring Wheat and Highland Barley in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

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  • Zemin Zhang

    (State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
    State Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection for Regional Eco-Process and Function Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
    Institute of Ecology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China)

  • Changhe Lu

    (Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research (CAS), Beijing 100101, China
    College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Xiao Guan

    (State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
    State Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection for Regional Eco-Process and Function Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
    Institute of Ecology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China)

Abstract

Low grain yield caused by high altitude; cold climate; small, cultivated land area, and poor soil fertility is the critical factor posing a potential risk to local food security in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Analyzing spatial distribution of the increase potential of grain production in the QTP could be contributable to developing a regional increase in the space of grains to ensure food security. Taking spring wheat and highland barley as objectives, this study simulated the annual potential yields of spring wheat and highland barley at the site level. They estimated their yield gaps and production increase potentials at the regional and county level and mapped their spatial distribution in 2020, based on the methodologies of the literature data collection, using the WOFOST model and GIS analysis. The yield gaps of spring wheat and highland barley were 3.7 and 2.4 t ha −1 for the whole QTP, accounting for 51.4% and 39.5% of their potential yields, respectively. At the county level, the yield gap ranges of spring wheat and highland barley were 1.5–7.0 t ha −1 and 0.3–5.9 t ha −1 across the QTP, respectively. When the yield gap was fully developed, spring wheat and highland barley productions had the potentials of 497.4 and 717.4 Kt for the whole QTP, equal to 118.2% and 75.2% of their current total production, respectively. Spatially, the counties with a large increase potential of spring wheat were mainly distributed in Haidong, Hainan, Xining, Shannan, Nyingchi, and Lhasa, while those with low potential were located in Xigaze and Shannan. Regarding highland barley, Lhasa, Shannan, Xigaze, Yushu, and Hainan had a larger potential to increase. To increase grain production in the QTP, the priority should be given to the shrinkage of the yield gap in the counties with larger potentials to increase, such as Hainan, Shannan, Lhasa, etc., through improving the irrigation rate and fertilizer usage in the farmland.

Suggested Citation

  • Zemin Zhang & Changhe Lu & Xiao Guan, 2023. "Spatial Distributions of Yield Gaps and Production Increase Potentials of Spring Wheat and Highland Barley in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-13, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:8:p:1555-:d:1211385
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yanling Song & Chunyi Wang & Hans W. Linderholm & Jinfeng Tian & Ying Shi & Jinxia Xu & Yanju Liu, 2019. "Agricultural Adaptation to Global Warming in the Tibetan Plateau," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-11, September.
    2. Kalra, Naveen & Chakraborty, Debashis & Ramesh Kumar, P. & Jolly, Monica & Sharma, P.K., 2007. "An approach to bridging yield gaps, combining response to water and other resource inputs for wheat in northern India, using research trials and farmers' fields data," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 93(1-2), pages 54-64, October.
    3. Gou, Fang & Yin, Wen & Hong, Yu & van der Werf, Wopke & Chai, Qiang & Heerink, Nico & van Ittersum, Martin K., 2017. "On yield gaps and yield gains in intercropping: Opportunities for increasing grain production in northwest China," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 96-105.
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