Drought Climatology of Indo-Gangetic Region of India Using Remote Sensing and Crop Growth Simulation Models

Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology

Algal blooms and zooplankton standing crop along the southwest coast of India

Dept. of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry,CUSAT

Impact of teak and eucalypt monoculture on soils in the highlands of Kerala

Impact of teak and eucalypt monoculture on soils in the highlands of kerala .The thesis is arranged under nine chapters. The first chapter introduces the topic, reviews the literature pertaining to the study and presents the aims and objectives of the study. The second chapter briefly describes the study location. experimental design and sampling methodology. The third chapter deals with physical properties of plantation soils. The fourth and fifth chapters cover the chemical properties and macro- and micro nutrient status in plantation soils. The organic matter fractions in plantation soils are described in sixth chapter. First part of the seventh chapter presents the results of factor analysis and the second part deals with fertility index of plantations. All these chapters are self-contained with separate introduction, materials and methods and results and discussions. A general discussion of the results is included in the eighth chapter. The ninth chapter includes conclusions and summary A study that traces the variation in physical and chemical properties and nutrient status of teak soils with age of plantations, till the end of a rotation period is thus highly pertinent. Such a study, with an adjacent natural forest as a reference stand will not only generate information that will help us to understand the pattern of variation in soil properties, but will also aid us in formulating better management strategies. The data generated by such a study will be more useful if accompanied by information on soil changes following a short rotation plantation crop. As Eucalypt, a short rotation crop is the second major plantation crop in Kerala, it was chosen for the study.

Impact of Climatic Variability and Drought on Crop Yields in Kerala

In the present investigation, the impacts of the variability of the climatic parameters on the yields of major crops grown in the State are analyzed. In particular, the effects of rainfall variability on the water balances of the different regions in the State have been studied. Through this analysis the drought climatology of the region has been studied along with an overview of the climatic shifts involved in individual years. The relationship between weather parameters and crop yields over the State has been analyzed with case studies of two crops- coconut and paddy. Crop-weather models for forecasting coconut and paddy yields have been developed, which could be used for planning purposes

An agroclimatic assessment of the crop growth potential of south india

Usually, under rainfed conditions the growing period exists in the humid months. Hence, for agricultural planning knowledge about the variabilities of the duration of the humid seasons are very much needed. The crucial problem affecting agriculture is the persistency in receiving a specific amount of rainfall during a short period. Agricultural operations and decision making are highly dependent on the probability of receiving given amounts of rainfall; such periods should match the water requirements of different phenological phases of the crops. While prolonged dry periods during sensitive phases are detrimental to their growth and lower the yields, excess of rainfall causes soil erosion and loss of soil nutrients. These factors point to the importance of evaluation of wet and dry spells. In this study the weekly rainfall data have been analysed to estimate the probability of wet and dry periods at all selected stations of each agroclimatic zone and the crop growth potentials of the growing seasons have been analysed. The thesis consists of six Chapters.

Wireless Sensor Networks for Paddy Field Crop Monitoring Application in Kuttanad

The evolution of wireless sensor network technology has enabled us to develop advanced systems for real time monitoring. In the present scenario wireless sensor networks are increasingly being used for precision agriculture. The advantages of using wireless sensor networks in agriculture are distributed data collection and monitoring, monitor and control of climate, irrigation and nutrient supply. Hence decreasing the cost of production and increasing the efficiency of production.This paper describes the application of wireless sensor network for crop monitoring in the paddy fields of kuttand, a region of Kerala, the southern state of India.