Quantification of Climate Warming and Crop Management Impacts on Phenology of Pulses-Based Cropping Systems

Climate warming is impacting the phenology, growth and productivity of diverse cropping systems at local, regional and global levels. Long-term observed chickpea-mungbean system (CMS) phenological changes were used for the determination of the relationship between crop practices, climate warming and phenology for the making strategies for CMS to minimize negative climate change impacts. Observed thermal trend from sowing to maturity was ranging from 0.82 to 1.15 °C decade−1 for chickpea and 0.64 to 0.97 °C decade−1 for mungbean during 1980–2018. Observed chickpea phenology stages was earlier for mean value of 7.04 (sowing; S), 6.76 (emergence; E), 4.31 (anthesis; A), 2.15 (maturity; M) days decade−1, whereas chickpea phases were decreased averagely 2.73 (S–A), 2.16 (A–M), 4.89 (S–M) days decade−1. Mungbean, ‘S’ 6.24, ‘E’ 5.97, ‘A’ 3.76, and ‘M’ 2.01 days decade−1 were occurred earlier. Period of mungbean phenology phases were lessened with averaged 2.45 (S–A), 1.76 (S–M) and 4.23 (A–M) days decade−1, respectively. Phenological stages and phases of both crops chickpea and mungbean correlated negatively with rising temperatures at all sites studied. By using CROPGRO-Chickpea and CROPGRO-Legume models for usual chickpea and mungbean cultivars at the sites for 38 years duration indicated that model predicted phenology stages were accelerated with thermal trend more as compared with observed stages. This showed that, during last decades, growing newly evolved cultivars of pulses having more thermal time requirement have significantly offset the increased temperature induced changes in chickpea (33%) and mungbean (20%) phenology. Therefore, for the mitigation of climate warming influences, newly evolved cultivars for CMS must be familiarized that need greater demand for degree days and having higher tolerance to temperature.