The 2010 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
1.To illustrate the importance of responses of horticultural crops to changes in climate, 2.To discuss the impact of water deficit and carbon dioxide on crop performance 3.To describe irrigation scheduling strategies and use of sensors to optimize water use and crop growth for a variety of horticultural crops in a changing climate.

Throughout history, leading agricultural enterprises have dealt with changes in climate through changes in management decisions. Crop responses in a changing climate reflect the interplay factors among rising temperatures, changing water resources, and elevating carbon dioxide concentrations. The colloquium will examine: 1) key issues on adaptations of plants to water limited conditions and the profound changes in physiological processes and crop performance due to climate change, and 2) water management approaches and irrigation scheduling to optimize horticultural plant performance under water deficit. Discussions on how to adapt farming to climate change could be learning lessons to how to make agriculture contribute to climate change mitigation. In this colloquium water availability for horticultural crops in a changing climate will be presented by the keynote speaker Dr. Mike O’Neill, National Program Leader for Water Resources.  Implications of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide on plant performance and water use efficiency will be discussed by Dr. Stephen Prior. Insights on physiological and morphological interactions that modulate water exchange among plant parts will be provided by Dr. Bill Bauerle. Responses of tropical trees to climate uncertainty in South East Asia will be summarized by Dr. Roger Kjelgren. Drought-resistant mechanisms of turfgrass as affected by availability of water and climate change will be elaborated by Dr. Richard White. The use of plant-based approaches to deficit irrigation in fruit trees and vines will be discussed by Dr. Ken Shackel. Automation of irrigation scheduling using soil water tension will be demonstrated by Dr. Clinton Shock. Discussion of those timely topics will help to clarify our current understanding of climate change and water relations and identify future research needs.