Climate impact assessment on tomato productivity using DSSAT model

A field experiment was conducted to assess the impact of climate change on tomato growth and productivity using the DSSAT model. The results obtained from the field trial were used to calibrate and validate the dynamic crop simulation model DSSAT-CROPGRO for predicting the growth and yield of the tomato crop. The past 30 years of weather data were used to assess the impact of climate variability on tomato productivity. The future climate data generated through a statistical downscaling approach were used to project the impact of climate change on tomato productivity. The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD). The treatments consisted of four planting dates from November 1st to December 15th at biweekly intervals and three nitrogen (N) levels, viz., the Recommended Dose of Nitrogen (RDN), 75% RDN, and 125% RDN. In the future, tomato productivity is expected to decline from the current yield levels due to climate change under hot dry conditions of 20.29 and 26.24 under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios by the end of the century. Impacts of future climate change could be reduced by altering the planting date from December 1st to October 1st during rabi under RCP 8.5. Though an earlier date of sowing and supplemental fertilizer application had considerable gains in fruit yield under both current and future climate conditions, their magnitude diminished considerably under future climate conditions.