Abstract
Global food security was affected by climate change, which causes variations in rainfall and temperature. It brings significant changes in the crop-growing period, leading to a shift in sowing dates from the current sowing dates. This study focuses on maize as a major crop in the Perambalur, Ariyalur, Trichy, and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu and aims to optimize the sowing dates and fertilizer recommendations in the context of climate change. To assess past climate, weather data were obtained from the IMD (India Meteorological Department) gridded dataset, and future climate projections were derived from the CMIP6 global climate models MIROC6 and EC EARTH. The past and future yields were simulated using the DSSAT model, and the adaptation strategies for the base period (1991-2020), near century (2021-2050), and mid-century (2051-2080) were evaluated using the SSP2-4.5 scenario. Adaptation strategies such as different sowing dates (15th September, 30th September, and 15th October) and various fertilizer dosages (75, 100, and 125 per cent of RDF) were evaluated to sustain maize yield. The results showed that the maximum yield was obtained with an early sowing date and a 125% recommended fertilizer dose across all study districts. The EC EARTH model was found to perform better at sustaining maize yield under the projected climate.