AGRO METEOROLOGY

Meteorology

Greek word “Meteoro” means ‘above the earth’s surface’ (atmosphere) “logy” means
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‘indicating science’. Branch of science dealing with that of atmosphere is known as

meteorology. Lower atmosphere extending up to 20km from earth’s surface is where frequent
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physical process takes place.

Meteorology is a combination
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of both physics and geography Meteorology is a

combination of both physics and geography. This science utilizes the principles of Physics to

study the behaviour of air. It is concerned with the analysis of individual weather elements for a

shorter period over a smaller area. In other words, the physical state of the atmosphere at a

given place and time is referred to as “weather”. The study of weather is called ‘meteorology’. It

is often quoted as the “physics of atmosphere”.

- Weather: Physical state of the atmosphere at a given place and given time. Eg. Cloudy day
-Climate: Long term regime of atmospheric variables of a given place or area. Eg. Cold season
Agricultural meteorology

1. A branch of applied meteorology which investigates the physical conditions of the

environment of growing plants or animal organisms

2. An applied science which deals with the relationship between weather/climatic conditions and

agricultural production.

3. A science concerned with the application of meteorology to the measurement and analysis of

the physical environment in agricultural systems. The word ‘Agro meteorology’ is the

abbreviated form of agricultural meteorology.

4. To study the interaction between meteorological and hydrological factors on the one hand

and agriculture in the widest sense, including horticulture, animal husbandry and forestry on the

other (WMO).
IMPORTANCE TO CROP PRODUCTION

1. Helps in planning cropping patterns/systems.

2. Selection of sowing dates for optimum crop yields.

3. Cost effective ploughing, harrowing, weeding etc.

4. Reducing losses of applied chemicals and fertilizers.

5. Judicious irrigation to crops.

6. Efficient harvesting of all crops.

7. Reducing or eliminating outbreak of pests and diseases.

8. Efficient management of soils which are formed out of weather action.

9. Managing weather abnormalities like cyclones, heavy rainfall, floods, drought etc. This can be

achieved by

(a) Protection: When rain is forecast avoid irrigation. But, when frost is forecast apply irrigation.

(b) Avoidance: Avoid fertilizer and chemical sprays when rain is forecast

(c) Mitigation: Use shelter belts against cold and heat waves.

10. Effective environmental protection.

11. Avoiding or minimizing losses due to forest fires.

1. To study climatic resources of a given area for effective crop planning.

2. To evolve weather based effective

3. To study crop weather relationships in all important crops and forecast crop yields based on
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agro climatic and spectral indices using remote sensing.

4. To study the relationship between weather factors and incidence of pests and diseases of
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various crops.

5. To delineate climatic/agro ecological/agro climatic zones for defining agro climatic analogues
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so as to make effective and fast transfer of technology for improving crop yields.

6. To prepare crop weather diagrams and crop

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7. To develop crop growth simulation models for assessing/obtaining potential yields in different
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agro climatic zones.

8. To monitor agricultural droughts on crop-wise for effective drought management.

9. To develop weather based agro advisories to sustain crop production utilizing various types
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of weather forecast and seasonal climate forecast.

10. To investigate microclimatic aspects of crop canopy in order to modify them for increased
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crop growth

11. To study the influence of weather on soil environment on which the crop is grown
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12. To investigate the influence of weather in protected environment (eg. Glass houses) for

improving their design aiming at increasing crop production.

COORDINATES OF INDIA- ATMOSPHERE – COMPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERE -

VERTICAL LAYERS OF ATMOSPHERE BASED ON TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE /

LAPSE RATE.

Coordinates of India

Lies between º N and º N latitude

ºE and º E longitude