The Spatiotemporal Evolution of Extreme Climate Indices in the Songnen Plain and Its Impact on Maize Yield

Global climate change is intensifying and extreme weather events are occurring frequently, with far-reaching impacts on agricultural production. The Songnen Plain, as an important maize production region in China, faces challenges posed by climate change. This study aims to explore the effects of climate extremes on maize yield and provide a scientific basis for the adaptation of agriculture to climate change in this region. The study focuses on the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of climate extremes during the maize reproductive period from 1988 to 2020 in the Songnen Plain and their impacts on maize yield. Daily temperature and precipitation data from 11 meteorological stations were selected and combined with maize yield information to assess the spatial and temporal trends of extreme climate indices using statistical methods such as the moving average and Mann–Kendall (M-K) mutation test. Pearson correlation analysis and a random forest algorithm were also used to quantify the degree of influence of extreme climate on maize yield. The results showed that (1) the extreme heat and humidity indices (TN90p, TX90p, CWD, R95p, R10, and SDII) tended to increase, while the cold indices (TN10p, TX10p) and the drought indices (CDD) showed a decreasing trend, suggesting that the climate of the Songnen Plain region tends to be warmer and more humid. (2) The cold indices in the extreme temperature indices showed a spatial pattern of being higher in the north and lower in the south and lower in the west and higher in the east, while the warm indices were the opposite, and the extreme precipitation indices showed a spatial pattern of being higher in the east and lower in the west. (3). Both maize yield and trend yield showed a significant upward trend. Maize meteorological yield showed a fluctuating downward trend within the range of −1.64~0.79 t/hm2. During the 33 years, there were three climatic abundance years, two climatic failure years, and the rest of the years were normal years. (4) The cold index TN10p and warm indices TN90p and CWD were significantly correlated with maize yield, in which TN90p had the highest degree of positive correlation with yield, and in the comprehensive analysis, the importance of extreme climatic events on maize yield was in the order of TN90p, TN10p, and CWD. This study demonstrates the impact of extreme climate indices on maize yield in the Songnen Plain, providing a scientific basis for local agricultural management and decision-making, helping to formulate response strategies to mitigate the negative effects of extreme climate, ensure food security, and promote sustainable agricultural development.