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Dry 7 Contingent

Contingent crop planning addresses the challenges of erratic rainfall in dry farming areas by implementing management practices to mitigate adverse effects on crop growth. This includes contingency cropping, where farmers select suitable crops based on rainfall timing and economic conditions, allowing for flexibility in crop choice. Short-duration crops are typically favored, but farmers with more resources may opt for longer-duration crops to maximize profits if conditions improve.

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15 views8 pages

Dry 7 Contingent

Contingent crop planning addresses the challenges of erratic rainfall in dry farming areas by implementing management practices to mitigate adverse effects on crop growth. This includes contingency cropping, where farmers select suitable crops based on rainfall timing and economic conditions, allowing for flexibility in crop choice. Short-duration crops are typically favored, but farmers with more resources may opt for longer-duration crops to maximize profits if conditions improve.

Uploaded by

febavarghese
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Contingent crop planning

for aberrant weather


conditions
• Rainfall behaviour in dry farming areas is erratic and uncertain.
• The deviations in rainfall behaviour commonly met with in dry areas include delayed onset,
early withdrawal and intermediary dry spells during rainy season.
• The adverse effect of these rainfall aberrations on crop growth vary with the degree of
deviation and the crop growth stage at which such deviations occur.
• Suitable manipulations in crop management practices are needed to minimize such adverse
effects of abnormal rainfall behaviour.
• These management decision, constitute contingency planning.
• Such management practices done after crop establishment and in the middle of crop growth
are called mid season or mid term corrections.
• Contingency cropping is growing of a suitable
crop in place of normally sown highly
profitable crop of the region due to aberrant
weather conditions.
• In dry land agriculture, contingency of growing
another crop in place of normally grown crop
arises due to delay in the onset of monsoon.
• Depending upon the date of receipt of rainfall,
crops are selected.
• It is assumed that the rainfall for the subsequent period is normal and
depending upon the economic status of the farmer, certain amount of risk is
taken to get good profits if season is normal or better than normal.
• Contingency cropping is highly location specific due to variation in amount
and distribution of rainfall.
• Especially in arid regions, the spatial distribution of rainfall is highly variable.
• It is common to observe that rainfall received varies from field to field in the
same location.
• Temperature gradually falls from August onwards reaching minimum in
November and December.
• Contingency plan and midterm corrections vary with the type and time of
occurrence of rainfall aberration
•Crops have to be selected with suitable crop duration to coincide with the
length of the growing season.
•Generally short duration pulses like greengram, blackgram and cowpea may
suit the situation.
• If the monsoon turns to be extraordinarily good, opportunity is lost if only
short duration crops are sown.
•Farmers with economic strength and motivation for high profits with some
amount of risk can go for crops of long duration.
•The long duration crops with flexibility or elasticity in yield are more suitable.
For example, pearlmillet, and sorghum can be ratooned if monsoon extends.
•Sunflower can be introduced for higher profits with certain amount of risk.
•Crops like sorghum, pearlmillet, can be grown for grain if monsoon extends
and if not, fodder can be obtained.

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