Agronomic Impacts of Climate Variability on Rice Production with Special Emphasis on Precipitation in South Western Plains of Uttarakhand

Abstract

Climate variability is a threat to food production. Weather aberrations and climatic fluctuations are the growing concern for their effects on agriculture have stimulated academic, public and policy-level interests on the analysis of the impacts of climate variability on agricultural production systems. Long-term climate variability influences sowing date, crop duration, crop yield, and other management practices adapted in rice production. Short-term weather episodes can also affect yield by inducing changes in temperature, potential evapotranspiration, and moisture availability. The degree of vulnerability of crops to climate variability depends mainly on the development stage of the crops at the time of weather aberration. The vulnerability and risk of crop production due to weather fluctuations and climate variability can be minimized if future weather variation could be precisely predicted and a suitable process-based ecophysiological crop yield forecasting model can be identified to produce real-time attack of insects pest and diseases of crop. Scientists and farmers must join efforts to further understand crop–climate relationships and formulate viable, locally adapted production technologies to sustain rice productivity against climate variability. This paper is presented to discuss the agronomic impacts of climate variability on rice production with special emphasis on rainfall in the Northern State of Uttarakhand.