October 11, 2016— Predicted climate variability in future years is expected to have both positive and negative impacts on global agriculture. Due to frequently harsh climatic conditions, crops grown in semiarid dryland cropping regions must tolerate a myriad of abiotic stresses

The “Global Semiarid Cropping Systems – Adaptation to Climate Variability” symposium planned at the Resilience Emerging from Scarcity and Abundance ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, will address this important topic. The symposium will be held Tuesday, November 7, 2016 at 8:30AM. The meeting is sponsored by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America.

“Semi-arid climates characterize a large but discontiguous fraction of the western half of the US,” says Eugene Takle, Iowa State University. “For these reasons, strategies for adapting to climate change will be highly location dependent, complex, and subject to modification over time.”

David Nielsen, USDA-ARS, will present potential management alternatives that may be useful in improving or maintaining cropping system sustainability in this region as weather patterns change, including using flexible/opportunity cropping in conjunction with forages.

Chandrashekhar Biradar, with ICARDA, Amman, will discuss agro-ecosystems in the Middle East and Africa. Hans J. Braun, CIMMYT, Mexico-DF, will discuss wheat production in Mexico.

For more information about the Resilience Emerging from Scarcity and Abundance 2016 meeting, visit https://www.acsmeetings.org/. Media are invited to attend the conference. Pre-registration by Oct. 26, 2016 is required. Visit https://www.acsmeetings.org/media for registration information. For information about the “Global Semiarid Cropping Systems – Adaptation to Climate Variability” symposium, visit https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2016am/webprogram/Session15783.html.

To speak with one of the scientists, contact Susan V. Fisk, 608-273-8091, sfisk@sciencesocieties.org  to arrange an interview.