Agricultural Meteorology: evolution and application

Attempts to relate agricultural production to weather go back at least 2000 years and are still evolving. Mainly qualitative studies in the 19th Century were followed by statistical analyses, then by microclimatic measurements and most recently by modelling. From 1968 onwards, publications in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology chart the progress of research and major trends. The main body of published work has dealt with the response of crops to climate and microclimate. Much less attention has been paid to livestock environments and the impact of weather on pests and diseases. Models purporting to describe the impact on production of climate and climate change have performed erratically when tested against field measurements. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.