Temperatures going up could bring crop production down

ICAR study says a rise in temperature reduces crop duration, increases crop respiration rates amongst other things

brajesh

Brajesh Kumar | June 2, 2010



A study by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) shows that for the period 1901 to 2005 there has been an increase in the annual mean temperature by 0.5oC in the country. This rise in the temperature says the study will affect the crop production in the country adversely.

The study on the impact of climate change says a rise in temperature reduces crop duration, increases crop respiration rates, affects the equilibrium between crops and pests, hastens nutrient mineralization in soils, decreases fertilizer use efficiencies, and increases evapo-transpiration.

The long-term variation of the mean annual temperature of the country for the period 1875 to 2004 was in the order of 0.03oC per decade while for the period 1971 to 2004 it was around 0.22oC per decade indicating greater warming in the recent decades. Analysis of long term (1952-2007) mean annual temperature trends of 47 locations spread across the country indicated increasing trend in the Central and Southern parts and North Eastern Region. Decreasing trend in temperature was observed in some parts of Gujarat, Konkan Region, North West parts of Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Rajasthan.

Extreme weather events have their way of impacting the crops. A study conducted on onion crop in Maharashtra indicates that the crop failed in 1997 Rabi season due to high temperatures in bulb formation stage and in 1998 Kharif due to Purple Blotch and Stemphylium Blight diseases which were induced by high rainfall.

It has also been observed that the apple belt is shifting upwards in the apple growing areas of Himachal Pradesh due to decreasing chilling hours and increasing temperature during November to March months. New areas of apple cultivation have appeared in Lahaul and Spitti and upper reaches of Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.

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