Fruit-ecological zoning of north-west India in context to climate change using GIS
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Date
2015
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CCSHAU
Abstract
The present investigation was carried out on meteorological data of more than 30 years of 22 stations in north-west
India. Annual and seasonal climatic trends were assessed through simple linear regression between weather parameters at hills,
plains and north-west India and tested through F-test and P-levels. Thermal, humidity, rainfall, moisture index, chilling hours,
growing degree days, soil texture and LGP maps were prepared in the GIS environment using ArcMap 10.1. The slope of mean
temperature was found negative for Srinagar, Ranichauri, Delhi and Narnaul and positive for all the remaining stations. Annual
temperature was increasing at the rate of 2.5.0°C/100years, 1.2°C/100years and 1.5°C/100 years in hills, plains and north-west
India. The maximum temperature was decreasing 2oC/100 year in plains, 0.3oC/100 years in north-west India but an increasing
trend of 4.4oC/100 years in hills. The increasing trend was higher in minimum temperature (1.6°C/100years) than maximum
temperature (0.9°C/100years) in north-west India. The increasing trend in mean temperature during effective growing season was
1.7°C/century, 1.2°C/century and 1.3°C/century and during dormant season were 3.4oC/century, 0.6oC/century and 0.4oC/century
in hills, plains and north-west India, respectively. Annual rainfall was showing an increasing trend of 551, 158 and 582 mm/100
years for hills, plains and north-west India. The rainfall was increasing with 33.8, 27.7 and 45.6 mm/decade during effective
growing season and with 5.7, 10.7 and 68.6 mm/decade during dormant season in hills, plains and north-west India. The annual
PET was increasing with 79, 197 and 165 mm/100 years for hills, plains and north-west, respectively. The average relative
humidity was increasing at the rate of 24%, 15% and 43%/100 years in hills, plains and north-west India. The chilling hours were
decreasing with 838, 9 and 222 hours /100 years but GDD was increasing with 85.62, 42.83 and 26.79GDD/decade in hills,
plains and north-west India, respectively. The rate of change of annual moisture index was negative for hills (-18.5%/100 years)
and north-west India (-1%/100 years) but positive for plains (6.1%/100 years). Fruit area was increasing at the rate of 36.15
thousand ha/year but productivity was decreasing at the rate of -0.04MT/year in hills. A climate shift was observed fromNWto SW
when it is compared with old climate map prepared in 1992 of north-west India as themoist sub humid zone shifted from sub Himalaya
towards south-west. Five soil textural classes, ten agro-climatic zone, thirty six agro-ecological sub-zones and fruit-ecological
zones were delineated by logical combination of soil texture layer and other required spatial input layers (moisture index, LGP
and soil, temperature, rainfall chilling hour layer). Suitable fruit ecological zones were delineated for different fruit (Mango,
Guava, Ber, Citrus, Plum, Litchi, Peach, Pear, Apricot and Apple) crops.
Description
Keywords
Fruit-ecological zone, Chilling hours, Temperatures, Rainfall, Humidity, Moisture index, LGP, GDD