HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS COTTON AND WHEAT CROPS IN GREECE THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS

Abstract

This paper presents the undoubted change of the Earth’s temperature since the past three centuries (18th, 19th and 20th respectively). Climate change and its impact on agriculture and water resources have become a global concern, however, despite that, how does climate change effect common crops, like cotton and wheat?
By utilizing and comparing the data of the temperature of the year 1978 and the latest year of the database (2022), the average temperatures are 15,15 °C (59,27 °F) and 16,75 °C (62,15 °F) respectively. The precipitation rate has not been reduced. Although the changes in precipitation are not stable due to specific factors, the increase of the temperature tends to cause increase crop evapotranspiration (ETc) which eventually leads to more precipitation. Since the temperature has been increased, the duration of each growing season is shorter, due to the fact that the desired temperature has been achieved earlier. Increased temperature has an immediate effect on the increase of ETc and therefore at the crop coefficient factor.