IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FORAGE AND PASTURE PRODUCTION AND STRATEGIES FOR ITS MITIGATION – A REVIEW

SUNIL, AKSHIT*, R. S. SHEORAN, SATPAL, HARENDER, DEEPAK LOURA, SUSHIL KUMAR AND PARAS
Department of Agronomy, Directorate of Extension Education,
Forage Section, Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding,
Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding,
CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
*(e-mail : akshitrathore43@gmail.com)
(Received : 18 June 2020; Accepted : 30 September 2020)

SUMMARY

In recent times, the popularity of forage and livestock sector has increased at a very rapid rate throughout the country due to their important roles in employment generation and sustainable production. From last few decades, the problems associated with climate change have reached to a new height. Among these problems, the elevation in CO2 concentration has most disastrous impacts on forage production. This elevated level of CO2 decreases the quality as well as quantity of various fodder crops and trees. Impact of climate change varies from sector to sector depending on their inherent capacity of adaptation and vulnerability. Forage sector act as both contributor as well as source of adaptation to climate change. Generally, the crop simulation models are used at wider scale to assess the impact of climate change on crop production. With the help of these simulation models, various crop management decisions are made to provide alternative options to farmers for their farming system. Use of these models will increase in near future due to advancement in technologies and computer use. Various approaches of climate resilient agriculture have potential to mitigate the harmful impacts of climate change and thus raise the income of farm families. This paper provides an overview of impact of climate change on forage production and possible management strategies to mitigate its harmful impacts on forage crops for achieving sustainable production.

Key words:Climate change, forage, pasture, mitigation

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