*3.2. Projected Climate during the Mexicali Cultivar Growing Season*

In Table 3, in order to detect the impact of future CC on Mexicali cultivar's LGS, the thirty years average of the last simulated by AquaCrop for the BP are compared to those simulated under Sc1 and Sc2 by this crop model. Furthermore, in Table 3, the thirty years average of TS ( ◦C), PS (mm), NrS (M J m−2) recorded during the BP are compared to thosesimulated by the ICHEC\_KNMI model under Sc1 and Sc2 at the Setif and BBA stations. This comparison aims to detect any relationship between LGS and CC.


**Table 3.** Comparison of the thirty years averages of TS, PS, NrS between the BP and the futurescenarios Sc1 and Sc2.

**Figure 2.** Comparison of the degree of agreement between the observed and simulated Tmin, Tmax, P, and Nr monthly means at Setif and BBA stations during the BP.

By taking into account that the Mexicali cultivar sowing date is fixed on 28 November in AquaCrop. For the BP, Sc1, and Sc2 scenarios. At Setif, the average Ts during the BP is 10.3 ◦C. Thus, the ICHEC\_KNMI model predicted an increase in TS by +3.5 and its decrease by −0.3 ◦C under Sc1 and Sc2 scenarios, respectively. At BBA, this climate model predicted the same TS trend predicted at Setif, so an increase in TS by +4.5 and its decline by −0.1 ◦C are projected under Sc1 and Sc2, respectively. According to these results, the TS elevation is more pronounced under Sc1 than under Sc2 at both stations Setif and BBA. This last result could be attributed to the fact that under RCP 4.5, the TS increase is accentuated during the months coinciding with the Mexicali cultivar growing season (especially during March and April). Meanwhile, under RCP 8.5, the TS increase will be more accentuated during the summer and autumn (period from June to October), so it does not coincide with the

Mexicali cultivar growing season. During the BP, the PS average at Setifstation is 263.1 mm, so a decline of −18.8 mm (−7.1%), and an increase of 65.6 mm (+24.9%) are projected under Sc1 and Sc2, respectively. At BBA, the ICHEC-KNMI model predicted the same trend of PS projected at Setifbut with a more accentuated degree. Thus, a decrease in PS of −67.1 mm (−31%) and its increase of +64.3 mm (+29.2%) are predicted by this climate model under Sc1 and Sc2, respectively.

The averages NrS observed during the BP are 1059 and 1058 MJm−<sup>2</sup> at the Setif and BBA stations, respectively. They are projected to drop by −347 MJm−<sup>2</sup> (−32.8%) and −590 MJm−<sup>2</sup> (−55.7%) under Sc1, and by −136.8 MJm−<sup>2</sup> (−12.9%) and −42.4 MJm−<sup>2</sup> (−4%) under Sc2 scenario at Setif and BBA, respectively.
