Assessment of Corn Grain Production Under Drought Conditions in Eastern Mexico Through the North American Drought Monitor
2025
Ofelia Andrea Valdés-Rodríguez | Fernando Salas-Martínez | Olivia Palacios-Wassenaar | Aldo Marquez
Over 80% of corn on Mexico&rsquo:s eastern side is sown under rainfed conditions. Therefore, drought represents a constant challenge for local producers. This study aims to determine the effects of drought on rainfed corn grain production on Mexico&rsquo:s eastern side by using the North American Drought Monitor as the primary tool. Drought levels at the municipal level provided by this monitor and corn production data (surface damage, yield, and volume) of the two productive seasons (spring&ndash:summer and autumn&ndash:winter) during 20 years were correlated at two significant levels (0.05 and 0.01). The significant values (p <: 0.05) were used to obtain regression curves representing corn-drought behaviors. The National Disaster Statistics and climatological stations were considered, discarding other phenomena besides drought. Results indicate that, for the significant municipalities, the years with the highest drought levels (2005, 2011, and 2019) positively correlate with reduced corn grain yield, volume, and total harvest losses. The regression curves estimated a yield reduction of 78 kg∙:ha&minus:1 during the spring&ndash:summer season and 76 kg∙:ha&minus:1 during the autumn&ndash:winter season. We concluded that the Drought Monitor is valuable for determining relationships between rainfed corn grain productivity and drought, considering that no other climatological phenomena affect the region.
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