WEATHER AND WEATHER BASED AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT PLAN

WEATHER AND WEATHER BASED AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT PLAN


Latest Weather Situation & Advisory

Monsoon Status:

  • The axis of monsoon trough at mean sea level passes through Ferozpur, Karnal, Bahraich, Patna, Dhanbad, Digha and thence southeastward to eastcentral Bay of Bengal. It is likely to shift southwards after 48 hours.
  • Fairly widespread rainfall has occurred over northeastern states, parts of east India, Chhattisgarh, east Madhya Pradesh and west coast during past 24 hours.
  • Chief amounts of rainfall (≥ 5 cm) recorded at 0830 hours IST of today are:Cherrapunji-14, Pasighat-9, Pune, north Lakhimpur and Umaria-6each, Machilipatnam, Mumbai, Satara and Minicoy-5 each, Dibrugarh, Portblair, Thiruvanthapuram, Kottayam, Daltonganj and Dhubri-4 each, Jalpaiguri, Parbhani, Ranchi, Bankura, Raipur, Sambalpur, Agartala and Kailashahar-3 each.

Main Features:

  • A north south trough runs from sub-Himalayan west Bengal & Sikkim to north Bay of Bengal and extends upto 0.9 Km above sea level. Under its influence, fairly widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy falls is likely over northeastern states, west Bengal & Sikkim, Orissa and Jharkhand during next 2-3 days.
  • The upper air cyclonic circulation over Lakshadweep area and neighbourhood extending upto mid-tropospheric levels persists. Under its influence, fairly widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy falls is likely over south Konkan & Goa, Kerala, Lakshadweep and Coastal Karnataka during next 2-3 days.
  • Subdued rainfall activity is likely over parts of northwest and adjoining central India and Gujarat during next 2-3 days.
  • KALPANA–1 Cloud Imagery at 0830 hours IST shows convective clouds over parts of southeast Arabian Sea and north & adjoining eastcentral Bay of Bengal. Low/medium clouds are seen over parts of northwest, west, central, northeast and peninsular India

Warning

  • Isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Sub- Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, northeastern states, south Konkan & Goa, Coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep during next 48 hours.

Weather Outlook for 24th August to 26th August, 2009 (Based on numerical weather products):

  • Fairly widespread rainfall activity is likely over West Bengal & Sikkim, Jharkhand, Orissa, north Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and north Maharashtra.
  • Decrease in rainfall activity over northeastern States.
  • An upper air cyclonic circulation is likely to form over northwest Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood<

(Source: India Meteorological Department Website)
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Weather related Images as on 20 th August 2009

Contingency Plan as on 21th August 2009

Field Crops

  • In unsown areas of Indo Gangatic alluvial Plain/others (Assam, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand. Jharkhand. Punjab and Parts of MP), Toria can be taken as catch crop. Click here for list of the promising varieties of toria
  • Toria, requires a fairly moist seed-bed for good germination, but excessive moisture should be avoided. The sowing of toria could be taken up by the end of August. However, care should be taken to control the incidence of saw-fly and painted bug. In case of excess rainfall, proper drainage of water should be ensured. When the temperature is continuously above 35°C, sowing should be avoided.
  • In certain states early duration paddy, maize and sorghum harvesting is likely to start by September end. The harvested paddy straw and other biomass need to be enriched and fortified and compact feed blocks need to be prepared. Such fortified fodder/feed blocks containing dry/green roughage, concentrates/unconventional supplements in the ratio of 50.50 be prepared and stored. Fortified blocks are compact, easy to handle and transport.
  • Farmers may ensure enhanced Fodder availability in view of prevailing dry monsoon. For this, farmers can grow crops like sorghum, pearl millet, small millet, green gram etc. Under this situation, even if there is early withdrawal of rain, atleast fodder can be made use of.
  • The quantum of precipitation and its scanty distribution is also going to adversely effect the likely seed availability in the next Kharif season. Contingency arrangement for adequate seed production should be made so that it can be made use in Kharif 2010.
  • Depending on the behaviour of monsoon, the Rabi crop constellation may change. Hence prepositioning of appropriate variety of seed for rabi will be of great help.
  • Due to change of likely crop constellation in ongoing Kharif and also likely change in rabi crop season, appropriate fertilizer delivery is required to be made in advance and also it’s application in time to be ensured.
  • In traditional areas, where sowing has not been taken up during June and July due to non receipt of rainfall, sowing of castor can be done in Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Orissa to take advantage of stored moisture and in rainfed alfisols in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh in medium/heavy soils till third week of August.
  • Early-maturing varieties/hybrids of castor DCH 519, Jwala (48-1), Kiran, Kranti are recommended for Andhra Pradesh.
  • In traditional sunflower growing areas of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra kharif plantings could be taken up with the receipt of rains in light soils. It is better to plant sunflower late in August and September to avoid necrosis disease.
  • In rainfall-deficit areas, short-duration crops of, greengram, blackgram, Pearl millet, fingermillet, sorghum, niger, chickpea, sesame, sunflower, maize, pigeonpea, can be grown.
  • Tractor mounted zero till drill can be used for sowing of coarse cereals and pulses without carrying out tillage operation. This will obviate further delay in sowing of the crops, as the time taken for seed bed preparation can be saved.
  • In order to cover large area in available time for sowing of coarse cereals and pulses, tractor moujnted seed cum fertilizer drills and planters should be used.
  • Frequent intercultural operation should be adopted for moisture conservation in standing cotton crop.
  • Follow 2:1 pearl millet + cluster been/moth bean/cowpea/green gram intercropping to ensure maximum returns in normal years
  • In case of good moisture in Uttarakand, fields with exiting poor crop growth can be removed and resown with crop like amaranth (VL Chua 44), buck wheat (VL Ugal 7), okra and french bean.
  • Sorghum seed treatment with Imidacloprid 600 FS @10 ml/kg of seed should be done.
  • Farmers should take appropriate measures for the management of shoot fly where sowing of sorghum has got delayed.
  • Grow short duration variety of sesame RT 46, greengram T9, cluster bean RGC 936 in Rajasthan.
  • Complementary nitrogenous fertilizers top dressing is recommended for crops with yellowing symptom under prolonged heavy downpour.

Horticultural Crops

  • The short duration vegetables like moth bean, cluster bean and cowpea should be grown in the interspaces of orchard.
  • If dry spell is more than 7 days, life saving irrigation should be given to vegetable crops and young plantations.
  • To facilitate In-situ moisture conservation in vegetable crops, ridge and furrow method of planting with tied ridges at 15-20 m length is suggested.
  • In case of chilli and okra, by adopting alternate furrow irrigation or wide space furrow irrigation system, 30-40% of irrigation water can be saved without adverse effect on the yield.
  • In areas where heavy rainfall is expected; farmers are advised to make provision of proper drainage for the crops like chilli, brinjal, pumpkin, bitter gourd, snake gourd, ridge gourd, spong gourd, bottle gourd etc.
  • The fruit crops like papaya, peach, citrus, jackfruit etc are very susceptible to water logging. Therefore, avoid water logging conditions at the collar portion of these crops.
  • For vegetable nursery, there should not be any stagnation of water in the beds. Thus, channels in between the raised nursery beds should be cleaned for proper drainage.
  • In-situ water harvesting should be done by proving 5% inward slope in the basin coupled with grass/ polythene mulching under arid and semi-arid region for better establishment of fruit plants.
  • In coastal region, there is a chance of severe damage in banana due to high wind velocity. Hence, propping is essential to banana plants for developing bunches .

Animal Feeding and Management

  • In case of rainfall deficit areas to minimise thermal stress, animals to be kept in shaded place. This will also help in reducing the water requirement
  • Enriched complete feed blocks containing dry roughage, concentrates / unconventional supplements in the ratio 50:50 be supplied. Click here for list of complete feed blocks providers.
  • Dry roughages be sprayed with 10% molasses or crude jaggery solution and 2% urea for maintenance of animals.
  • In case of widespread to heavy rainfall areas animals to be housed in dry place and dry bedding (straw) to be provided to young animals.
  • Feeds to be protected from fungal contamination and wet feeds to be dried and fed.
  • In sugarcane growing area, sugarcane bagasse could be used in the mixed ration containing 50% sugarcane bagasse, 20-25% roughage (green/dry), 20% cake, 5-10% wheat bran, 10% molasses or crude jaggery, 1% urea, 1% salt and 2% mineral mixture.
  • Damaged grain (not fungus contaminated) to be diverted for livestock feeding.
  • Certain drought resistant fodder crops (like sorghum PC 6 and MP chari, cowpea - BL 1 and 2) and fodder grasses (like stylo, cenchrus ciliaris, athropogan, etc.) to be cultivated. Under the mini kit programme the developmental department (DAHDF, Fodder Unit) to provide such fodder crop seeds in drought-affected areas.
  • 40-50 g of salt and 30-40 g mineral mixture per adult animal and 10-20 g for small ruminants and calves to be provided daily through feed.
  • Animals to be dewormed with suitable anti-helmentic drug and be checked and treated for ecto-parasites, if any.
  • Vaccination schedule against FMD, Blue tongue (BT) in large ruminants, and PPR in small ruminants be carried out in hot humid areas.
  • Screen animals for symptoms of dehydration, metabolic disorders and check for wound and injuries and take the services of Veterinary Doctor for treatment.
  • In heavy rainfall area check animals for Pneumonia particularly in small ruminants

Fisheries

  • Farmers should go for short term fish culture ( Aug/Sept – March) of medium carps like P.sarana. L. bata ,( North regions) L. fimbriatus( Peninsular region). The fishes can be Cultured in shallow ponds, attain marketable size within the stipulated period.
  • In present grow-out Carp ponds, partial harvesting of the stock proportionate to the receding water volume should be undertaken to avoid algal blooms. Application of fertilizer and manure should also be reduced to avoid eutrophication
  • Protect Brood stock by making deep trenches /pools in the middle of brood stock ponds with shallow channels all along the periphery to provide shelter to fishes in the wake of scarcity of water.
  • Air breathing fish culture should be taken extensively in rain defecit regions
  • Extensive use of pens for grow-out culture of carps in lakes /reservoirs and bheels especially in North-eastern regions to provide flexibility while doing culture in less rain fall regions.
  • Paddy cum fish culture needs to be propagated extensively in both adequate and in adequate rainfall regions for optimum utilization of resource.
  • Along coastal states , Sea-bass culture rather than Shrimp culture should be taken.The seed can be procured from the concerned agencies as well as from nature.