California is a global leader in the agricultural sector and produces more than 400 types of commodities. The state produces over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts. Despite being highly productive, current and future climate change poses many challenges to the agricultural sector. This paper provides a summary of the current state of knowledge on historical and future trends in climate and their impacts on California agriculture. We present a synthesis of climate change impacts on California agriculture in the context of: (1) historic trends and projected changes in temperature, precipitation, snowpack, heat waves, drought, and flood events; and (2) consequent impacts on crop yields, chill hours, pests and diseases, and agricultural vulnerability to climate risks. Finally, we highlight important findings and directions for future research and implementation. The detailed review presented in this paper provides sufficient evidence that the climate in California has changed significantly and is expected to continue changing in the future, and justifies the urgency and importance of enhancing the adaptive capacity of agriculture and reducing vulnerability to climate change. Since agriculture in California is very diverse and each crop responds to climate differently, climate adaptation research should be locally focused along with effective stakeholder engagement and systematic outreach efforts for effective adoption and implementation. The expected readership of this paper includes local stakeholders, researchers, state and national agencies, and international communities interested in learning about climate change and California’s agriculture.

A method is presented that uses continuous soil moisture measurements and hourly reference evapotranspiration data to estimate a soil hydraulic factor (β) for modeling soil evaporation. The β factor is used to assess the end of the energy limited soil evaporation phase (Stage 1) and the evaporation rate during the soil hydraulic limited phase (Stage 2) of a two-stage soil evaporation model. A previously developed and tested method to determine β uses an energy balance approach with sensible heat flux density estimated using the surface renewal method to obtain the continuous soil evaporation. A new method is presented, which uses a hydroprobe soil moisture measuring device to estimate the continuous soil evaporation. The estimation of evaporation with soil moisture sensors was simpler and less expensive when compared to the energy balance technique. The methods, evaluated in two field experiments, showed good agreement with evaporation data. Using the evaporation model and β derived from either method pro...

A model is presented that uses a daily mean evapotranspiration ETo rate to estimate energy-limited (potential or Stage 1) soil evaporation, and it also uses daily mean ETo and a soil hydraulic β factor to estimate soil hydraulic property-limited (Stage 2) evaporation. The model provides good estimates of cumulative soil evaporation on both hourly and daily bases when compared to observed soil evaporation in three field trials. Crop coefficient Kc values from cumulative hourly and cumulative daily soil evaporation estimates and ETo data were comparable. Using a soil hydraulic factor (β = 2.6) in the model gave a fair approximation for the widely used Kc curves for initial growth of crops presented in the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization's Irrigation and Drainage Paper 24. However, using a site-specific β factor should improve soil evaporation and Kc estimates for site-specific applications.

In California, alfalfa is grown on a large area ranging between 325,000 and 410,000 hectares and ranks among the thirstiest crops. While the hay production industry is often scrutinized for the large usage of the state’s agricultural water, alfalfa is a crucial feed-supplier for the livestock and dairy sectors, which rank among the most profitable commodity groups in the state. Sub-surface drip irrigation (SDI), although only practiced on approximately 2% of the alfalfa production area in California, is claimed to have the potential to significantly increase hay yield (HY) and water productivity (WP) compared with surface irrigation (SI). In 2014–2016 we interviewed a number of growers pioneering SDI for alfalfa production in Central and Southern California who reported that yield improvements in the order of 10–30% and water saving of about 20–30% are achievable in SDI-irrigated fields compared with SI, according to their records and perceptions collected over few years of experience. Results from our research on SDI at the University of California, Davis, revealed significantly smaller yield gain (~5%) and a slight increase of water use (~2–3%) that are similar to findings from earlier research studies. We found that most of the interviewed alfalfa producers are generally satisfied with their SDI systems, yet face some challenges that call for additional research and educational efforts. Key limitations of SDI include high investment costs, use of energy to pressurize water, the need for more advanced irrigation management skills, and better understanding of soil-water dynamics by farm personnel. SDI-irrigated fields also need accurate water monitoring and control, attentive prevention and repair of rodent damages, and careful salinity management in the root zone. In this paper we attempt to evaluate the viability of the SDI technology for alfalfa production on the basis of preliminary results of our research and extension activities, with focus on its water and energy footprints within the context of resource efficiency.

Agricultural drainage plays an important role worldwide in food production and conservation of soil resources, while safeguarding investments in agricultural production and irrigation projects. It can improve crop yields and land productivity, especially on poorly drained soils and in cases of prolonged waterlogging. Both the subsurface drainage materials and the installation techniques used have a long history dating to prehistoric times. Over time, new subsurface drainage materials, installation techniques and modernized equipment were being developed continuously to take advantage of technological advances provided through research and development, while the planning and organization of the implementation process were improved. Today’s new materials and improved installation methods can offer solutions to problems still unsolved, while sometimes creating new ones. This paper considers the evolution of basic subsurface drainage materials and their installation techniques as they developed and adapted over time as well as possible future trends in drainage system design and application.