Abstract: Based on the 1961-2007 ground surface meteorological data from 558 meteorological stations in China, this paper analyzed the differences of agricultural climate resources in China different regions, and compared the change characteristics of the agricultural climate resources in 1961-1980 (periodⅠ) and 1981-2007 (period Ⅱ), taking the year 1981 as the time node. As compared with period Ⅰ, the mean annual temperature in China in period Ⅱ increased by 0.6 ℃, and the ≥ 0 ℃ active accumulated temperature in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops and the ≥ 10 ℃ active accumulated temperature in the growth periods of thermophilic crops increased averagely by 123.3 ℃·d and 125.9 ℃·d, respectively. In 1961-2007, the mean annual temperature increased most in Northeast China, and the ≥ 10 ℃ active accumulated temperature in the growth periods of thermophilic crops increased most in South China. The whole year sunshine hours and the sunshine hours in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops and of thermophilic crops in period Ⅱ decreased by 125.7 h, 32.2 h, and 53.6 h, respectively, compared with those in periodⅠ.In 1961-2007, the annual sunshine hours decreased most in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River,while the sunshine hours in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops and of thermophilic crops decreased most in North China and South China, respectively.In the whole year and in the growth periods of chimonophilous and thermophilic crops, both the precipitation and the reference crop evapotranspiration in this country all showed a decreasing trend, with the largest decrement in the precipitation in the whole year and in the growth periods of chimonophilous and thermophilic crops in North China, the largest decrement in the reference crop evapotranspiration in the whole year and in the growth periods of thermophilic crops in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, and the largest decrement in the reference crop evapotranspiration in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops in Northwest China. In 1961-2007, the climate in China in the whole year and in the growth periods of thermophilic crops showed an overall tendency of warm and dry, and the climate in the growth periods of thermophilic crops became warm and dry in Southwest China, North China, and Northeast China, but warm and wet in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, Northwest China, and South China, whereas the climate in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops became warm and dry in North China, but became warm and wet in Northwest China.

Key words: climate change, China, agricultural climate resources