Environment Conservation Journal (Apr 2022)

Analysis of climate variability and influence of climate variables on major crop yields in Nalgonda District of Telangana State, India

  • Akshith Sai Pabba,
  • Balaji Naik Banoth,
  • Ravinder Naik Vankudothu,
  • Sudha Rani Voliveru

DOI
https://doi.org/10.36953/ECJ.021932-2178
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 1&2

Abstract

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Climate change has become a major concern globally, demanding immediate attention and action. In view of the extreme climatic uncertainties, it is obvious that Indian agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate change as climate is the direct input for production. This scenario emphasizes the dire need to understand the patterns of climate change and thus prepare agricultural systems for future climatic uncertainties. Therefore, the present study was conferred to analyse the climatic variability of Nalgonda district in Telangana State, considering 30 years (1988 to 2017) of historical weather data pertaining to rainfall and temperature (maximum and minimum). Climatic variability of the district was systematically analysed using box-and-whisker plot, Coefficient of Variation (CV), and trend analysis. The association between climatic variables (rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures) and the major Kharif crop yields was calculated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The results revealed that the recent decade (2008-2017) had a stable increase in seasonal rainfall in almost all the months compared to the earlier two decades but with the least consistency in rainfall (CV 29.03 %) and higher fluctuations in the maximum temperature (CV 2.38%). September month had shown the higher risk of recording low rainfall conditions compared to July and August months in the district. The rice crop yields during the recent decade (2008-2017) were found to have significant positive and negative associations with the rainfall in September and October months, respectively. Similarly, the lint yields of cotton crops were found to have a significant negative association with the maximum temperatures of the October and November months of the district. The major finding of the study realized was that climate variability and change exist in Nalgonda district, and the climate variables had significant effects on the crop yields of the district.

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