Identification of crop species vulnerable to projected climate change in three agro-ecological zones of the Koshi river basin, Nepal Rawal Deepa S1,*, Bharti Luna2,** 1Nepal academy of science and technology, Kathmandu, Nepal 2International Water Management Institute, Kathmandu, Nepal *E mail: rawalshree@hotmail.com
** L.bharati@cgiar.org
Online published on 27 October, 2015. Abstract Changes in the earth's climate may have major impacts on plant regeneration. It is hence necessary to understand the link between germination and environmental cues. This study investigates the influence of climate change on germination response of eight crop species for the identification of species vulnerability to projected climate change. Data from the germination experiments were used to calibrate the germination module of the mechanistic model TACA-GEM in order to evaluate species germination vulnerability to a range of climate change scenarios expected to take place by the 2050s. The study was conducted for three sites of the Koshi river basin, Nepal. The findings indicate that rainfall is one of the primary factors influencing species germination. The projected moderate rainfall with warm climate benefitted germination in Saptari while the higher rainfall and colder climate projected for Bhojpur was adverse to the germination of most of the species. The germination response displayed by wheat and chickpea suggests that these species are the most resilient to projected climatic conditions. The study successfully demonstrated the influence of projected climatic conditions on species germination timing and success, reflecting species vulnerability to a range of climate conditions. Top Keywords Environment, influence, agricultural plants, response, resiliency, Koshi/Kosi basin. Top |