CLIMATE EFFECTS IAFNR Plant and Soil Sciences Module

TOLERATING CLIMATE  Plants vary in their ability to tolerate temperature differences and changes  Each plant has an optimum temperature for growth  Also have a low and high where growth ceases below or above  Common agricultural plants have been divided into two groups  Cool Season  Survive spring frosts and planted in early spring or fall  Includes: Wheat, Oats, Cabbage, Collards, Lettuce, Onions  Warm Season  Usually killed by frosts and need warmer temperatures to grow  Includes: Cotton, Corn, Beans, Tomatoes, Peppers, Watermelon What kinds of plants are tolerant to Indiana Weather?

OTHER WAYS OF TOLERATING CLIMATE  Hardening  Cool-season Vegetables can be made to adapt to lower temperatures by exposing young transplants to stress of slightly wilting or being grown at 10 degrees below normal  Plants become tougher and less likely to be killed by the environment  Dormancy  Some plants appear to be dead from ground up, but are actually dormant  Plants will emerge from underground parts in the spring  Seed Germination  Temperature determines seed germination, all seeds have an optimum germination  Thermoperiod  A daily temperature change  Plants respond by growing/ photosynthesize during the day and respire at night after temperature change

CLIMACTIC CLASSIFICATION  The United States is divided into Hardiness Zones for growing plants  Hardiness Zones determine kinds of plants that will grow in the area based upon average annual minimum temperatures  The USDA plant hardiness map (next slide)  Divides North America into 11 zones  Zone 1- the coldest  Zone 11- the warmest

What zones are found in Indiana?

TEMPERATURE STRESS High Temperature  Injury from lack of light or water  Drought  Indiana experienced a severe drought in the Summer of 2012 Low Temperature  Injury from Frost  Kills entire plant  Damages newest buds, flowers, or leaves Image retrieved from: n.com/2012/09 /15/us/drought -impact/ n.com/2012/09 /15/us/drought -impact/ Image retrieved from: nfo/basic- gardening-terms- and-definitions- hardy-and-tender- plants/ nfo/basic- gardening-terms- and-definitions- hardy-and-tender- plants/

CLIMATE CLUSTERS

 Five Climate Groups  Further divided into specific types of climates found all over the world  Tropical  Rain Forest  Monsoon  Savanna  Dry  Arid  Semiarid  Mild  Humid Subtropical  Marine  Mediterranean  Continental  Warm Summer  Cool Summer  Subarctic  Polar  Tundra  Ice Cap

Image retrieved from: manenceinstitute.org/ resources/newsletter- archive/v19/preservati on-environment- summit

CLIMATE CLUSTERS Semiarid Steppe  Low precipitation  Enough rain to support grasslands also known as savannas.  This climate can occur when warm, moist air is blocked by mountains  Example: Denver, Colorado, next to the Rocky Mountains Midlatitude Desert  Very similar to Semiarid Steppe  True Desert Climate Image retrieved from:

CLIMATE CLUSTERS Humid Continental  Climate Type: Continental  Cold, Long Winters  Warm Summer  Wet summer seasons  Cool Summer  Cold winds  Accustomed to harsh weather Humid Subtropical  Climate Type: Mild  Found on eastern sides of continents  See Map  Hot and humid summers  Winter can be severely cold  Precipitation spread evenly through the year  Hurricanes and other violent storms are common in these regions.

CLIMATE CLUSTERS Marine West Coast  Climate Type: Mild  Longer, cooler winter than Mediterranean climate  Drizzle falls throughout most of the winter  Temperatures average about 41 degrees Fahrenheit Mediterranean  Climate Type: Mild  Warm summer, little rain  Short, mild, and rainy winter  Found on the west coasts of and along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea

REFERENCES  National Geographic. (2015). Climate. Retrieved from:  Parker, R. (2010). Plant and Soil Science: Fundamentals and Applications. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar.  USDA Hardiness Zone image retrieved from: