Climate-adaptative management strategies for soybean production under ENSO scenarios in Southern Brazil: An in-silico analysis of crop failure risk

CONTEXT

Soybeans (Glycine max L.) are a crucial crop for global food security, and the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, plays a significant role. However, climate instability, particularly water stress (WS), is a major concern in this region, causing large interannual yield variability.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to address this issue using an in-silico approach to: i) characterize WS and spatial patterns and their frequency within ENSO events; and ii) explore climate-adaptative management strategies such as planting dates and maturity groups to mitigate the risk of crop failure and maximize seed yield and profits.

METHODS

Crop growth simulations were performed testing three soybean maturity groups (MG, 5.0, 5.8, and 6.4) and eight planting dates (from October 5th to January 20th) over 30 years at 187 locations in RS, Brazil, using APSIM Next Generation. Failure risk was calculated as the percentage of simulations that yielded less than the economic break-even soybean yield in a given scenario.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The simulated yields were clustered into four regions: Northeast, North, Central, and Southwest. Four WS seasonal patterns were then defined (no stress, early stress, late stress, and whole season stress). On average, WS reduced yields up to 2 Mg ha-1 (∼50 % relative to the maximum). WS varied among regions, with the SW experiencing more frequent and severe stress (up to 50 % of whole season stress during La Nina). ENSO events influenced WS frequency, with El Niño events associated with reduced stress and La Niña events to increased stress. The MG 5.0 resulted in a higher probability of failure risk in all regions. Early planting dates resulted in the highest yield variability (up to 5 Mg ha-1). Climate-adaptative management strategies, such as optimizing planting dates and maturity groups, resulted in a 15 % reduction in crop failure.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our findings provide valuable insights for developing targeted approaches to enhance soybean yield stability, thereby increasing the resilience of agriculture in the face of future climate uncertainties.