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
Image
retrieved from:
http://www.cn
n.com/2012/09
/15/us/drought
-impact/
Low Temperature
 Injury from Frost
 Kills entire plant
 Damages newest buds, flowers, or
leaves
Image retrieved
from:
http://gardengates.i
nfo/basicgardening-termsand-definitionshardy-and-tenderplants/
CLIMATE CLUSTERS
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:
https://www.imageper
manenceinstitute.org/
resources/newsletterarchive/v19/preservati
on-environmentsummit
CLIMATE CLUSTERS
Semiarid Steppe
Midlatitude Desert
 Low precipitation
 Very similar to Semiarid Steppe
 Enough rain to support grasslands
also known as savannas.
 True Desert Climate
 This climate can occur when warm,
moist air is blocked by mountains
 Example: Denver, Colorado, next to the
Rocky Mountains
Image retrieved from:
http://gec.cr.usgs.gov/archive/eolian/
CLIMATE CLUSTERS
Humid Continental
Humid Subtropical
 Climate Type: Continental
 Climate Type: Mild
 Cold, Long Winters
 Found on eastern sides of continents
 Warm Summer
 Wet summer seasons
 Cool Summer
 Cold winds
 Accustomed to harsh weather
 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
Mediterranean
 Climate Type: Mild
 Climate Type: Mild
 Longer, cooler winter than
Mediterranean climate
 Warm summer, little rain
 Drizzle falls throughout most of the
winter
 Temperatures average about 41
degrees Fahrenheit
 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:
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/climate/?ar_a=
1
 Parker, R. (2010). Plant and Soil Science: Fundamentals and Applications. Clifton
Park, NY: Delmar.
 USDA Hardiness Zone image retrieved from:
http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/