Building soil to reduce climate change impacts on global crop yield

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Climate Science
• Soil Science

Background:

• Sustainable food production relies on healthy and resilient soils.
• The impact of soil properties on crop yield response to climate warming is not fully understood.
• Global crop productivity faces challenges from climate warming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of soil in modulating crop yield responses to climate warming.
• To quantify the impact of soil organic carbon (SOC) on yield variations under warming.
• To assess the potential of improving SOC for food security.

Main Methods:

• Utilized global-scale datasets for major crops (maize, wheat, rice, soybean).
• Employed random forest modeling to analyze yield responses.
• Examined the influence of soil organic carbon (SOC) as a key soil quality indicator.

Main Results:

• Each °C of warming reduced global yields of maize, wheat, rice, and soybean by 3.4%, 2.4%, 0.3%, and 5.0%, respectively.
• Soil organic carbon (SOC) dominantly explained spatial variations in warming-induced yield impacts.
• Improving SOC significantly reduced projected yield losses, with benefits across large percentages of planting areas.

Conclusions:

• Soil health, particularly SOC, is critical for alleviating negative climate warming impacts on crop yields and ensuring food security.
• Sustainable soil improvement practices can mitigate warming-induced yield losses and enhance global food production.
• Enhanced soil carbon sequestration offers substantial benefits for major crops and food systems globally.