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Agriculture is one field of the human activity which is extremely sensitive to weather and climate. The study of these two aspects in relation to agriculture is referred as agricultural meteorology and is a multidisciplinary science. Agricultural meteorology when properly applied by plant scientists can achieve the sustainability of agricultural production system through efficient management of agro-climatic resources and crop microclimate modification. Each and every plant developmental phase is decided by meteorological parameters. Every genotype has its own optimum climatic requirements for expression of its full potential. Therefore, the knowledge of meteorological parameters and their influence on crop growth and yield is very important for plant scientists (Niwas, Singh, Singh, Khichar & Singh, 2006).
Agricultural meteorology is an applied science which deals with the relationship between weather or climatic conditions and agricultural production. More than ever, agricultural meteorological services have become necessary because of the challenges provided to many forms of agricultural production by increasing climate variability and associated extreme events as well as climate change, all of which affecting the socio-economic conditions. Some of the importance of agricultural meteorology to plant scientists are; it helps in planning cropping systems, selecting of sowing dates and crop varieties, reduce losses of applied chemicals and fertilizers, in season cultivation and irrigation, eliminating outbreak of pests and diseases, efficient harvesting of crops and pre-season crop marketing decisions and managing weather abnormalities such as cyclones, forest fire, dust storm, heavy rainfall, floods, drought etc. achieved by weather forecasting (Eilts, 2018).
Despite ongoing improvements in technology and crop varieties, climate is still the main uncontrollable factor affecting agriculture production. Crop growth and yield are affected by variations in climatic factors such as air temperature and precipitation, and the frequency and severity of extreme events such as droughts, floods, windstorms and hail. The losses due to abnormal weather can be minimized to a considerable extent by suitable adjustment of the farming operations according to the probable weather conditions through accurate weather forecasting from meteorological stations. Weather forecasting is foretelling the coming weather in advance. It may be defined as advance information about the probable weather conditions for few days to come. So the time for which weather forecast is made is also important (Hollinger, nd).
Weather is the prime unpredictable factor that controls crop growth and development in agriculture. For instance, when the plant scientists have information on weather forecast and they assume that the weather forecasts are perfect or correct to a useful extent it means, in advance, they can have with the information on the weather such as rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, dew, etc. that is going to affect their crops in the coming days. So, given the weather forecast, plant scientist can foresee in advance the crop growth and development and take necessary measures to increase crop productivity depending on the resource status (Gommes, 2001).
Weather forecasts play a very important role in many farming operations. For instance, weeding is best done in a rainless period, planting requires regular but not too heavy rain, spraying pesticides cannot be done in windy weather, etc. Weather forecasting enables the farmers to manage the whole value chains that is land preparation, planting, management of crops, harvesting etc. under appropriate and optimum conditions for increasing productivity of the crops. Hence weather updates from meteorological stations is essential for the plant scientists and farmers to manage their crops properly and improve their productivity (Griffiths, 1994).
The application of meteorology to agriculture is of high importance, since every facet of agricultural activity depends on the weather. The growth and harvest of plants is a response both to genetics and the surrounding environment. With careful planning and research, agricultural meteorologists help the plant scientists and farmers to meet the world’s demands for food and other agricultural products. Uncertain weather patterns, because of climate change and other meteorological phenomena, has increased the need for accurate weather data (Biswas,2016).
Agricultural meteorology studies meteorological and hydrological factors in relation to agriculture. It also studies the behavior of the weather elements that have direct relevance to agriculture and their effect on crop production. Weather and climate are the factors determining the success or failure of agriculture. It has an important impact in agricultural production as it has a straight influence on crop growth, development and yields, on the incidence of pests and diseases, on water needs and on fertilizer requirements. Extreme and variable weather conditions may cause decline in production, damage to crops and soil erosion, decline in the quality of the final products, problems in the yield transportation (Johnson, 1994).
Plant scientists and farmers cannot fight the weather. However, they can adopt the given situation and take additional farm management practices to minimize crop losses. Therefore, precise information regarding the weather is essential so that farm activities can be planned without adverse events. On the other hand, farming under the open sky is greatly reliant upon the weather and is subject to its moody conditions, especially nowadays, when climate change leads to unpredictable weather which is beyond human control (Hollinger, nd).
Rachita (nd) pointed out that, generally, there is no aspect of crop culture that is immune to the impact of weather. These impacts are particularly strong in countries located in the tropics with low levels of crop management technology, and in most of the cases, exposed to high variability in climate because of regional meteorological systems and phenomena. Considering this context, it is important for plant scientists to use weather and climate information to support the decision making process at various dimensions, at the farm and in agricultural industries. Furthermore, the existence of organized and reliable databases is required to develop studies and research in agricultural meteorology, to generate new knowledge and technological alternatives to minimize the effects of adverse weather and climate conditions for agriculture.
Irrespective of the type of decision, an ever improving understanding of the effects of weather and climate on soils, plants, trees and related production in farming systems, is necessary for decision makers such as plant scientists and farmers, to make timely and efficient use of meteorological and climatological information and of agricultural meteorological services for agriculture production. To these ends choices have to be made of the right mixture and blending of traditional adaptation strategies, contemporary knowledge in science and technology and suitable policy environments. Without policy support systems for agricultural meteorological services, yields with the available production means will remain below optimal (Eilts, 2018).
Agriculture meteorology helps the plant scientist in planning the cropping systems which will be able to take into consideration the environmental concerns. A cropping system is referred to the type and sequence of crops grown and practices used in the production process. Conserving soil and water and maintaining long term soil productivity depends largely on the management of cropping systems, which influence the magnitude of soil erosion and organic matter dynamics. Properly managed cropping system can maintain or even restore moderately degraded lands by improving soil resilience (Wikibooks, 2019).
Field workability refers to the availability of days that are suitable for fieldwork. Its primarily dependent upon soil moisture and soil temperature. Accurate field-level weather information can help plant scientists and farmers assess the workability of their fields and become more efficient in their day-to-day operations (Eilts, 2018).
Eilts, (2018) emphasized that, timing in fertilizer application is very important and one of the many decisions that plant scientists and farmers have to make is determining the proper time to apply fertilizer, as well as the application rate and fertilizer form to use. A misapplied application caused by weather can wipe away the entire fields profits. Weather forecasts provided by agricultural meteorologist can be used to ensure that fertilizer is applied in the right conditions. For instance, no urea topdressing before expected heavy rainfall and no topdressing after storm either. In the former case it saves urea from being lost in the environment.
Griffiths (1994) explained that, the application of agricultural meteorology as an aid to the plant scientist and farmer in combating plant disease differs according to the mechanisms by which each pathogen is spread. The pathogen may be a year-round resident that increases and spreads whenever the weather is suitable for the pathogen and the host plant, which is the case with the fungal diseases. In some areas a pathogen may not be capable of surviving the year, and may not reappear unless transported in sufficient quantity from a distant source, for instance, black wheat rust. In recent years the development of crop disease models has focused on crops with high economic value, such as fruit trees, vineyards and vegetables, since the models need meteorological observations in field settings that usually require agricultural meteorology information from weather stations.
Certain weather conditions encourage the development and growth of pests and diseases, which can destroy crops. The application of meteorology to overcome the effects of pests and diseases on plants and animals involves a complete understanding of the complex life cycles of the pathogen and its host, as well as the environmental conditions that influence growth and development. For instance, temperature affects the growth rate of insects, hence their population increases with increase in temperature and vice versa. Temperature has been used in predicting insect pest outbreaks using degree-days concept. Weather forecast guidance incorporated into pest and disease modeling can help plant scientists to determine when it is an appropriate time to apply pesticide or disease controls in older to treat the crops to get the best outcome when it comes to managing pest and diseases (Biswas,2016).
Eilts, (2018) asserts that, in a situation whereby weather forecast indicates that there will be a favorable condition for disease and pest occurrences, the plant scientists will advise farmers to get prepared for preventive and curative measures ahead of damage happening to their crops. Weather forecasts are also important for forecasting the spread of fungal pathogens that are carried on by the wind. This can allow for pretreatment of crops to avoid massive losses. Wind forecasts also play a role in this decision, as crop dusters, aircraft that spray fungicidal or insecticidal chemicals on plants from above, must be utilized when wind conditions are not suitable to cause sprayed chemicals to miss their targets. Besides that, plant scientists can encourage farmers to implement crop diversification in order to reduce the risk of unfavorable weather conditions and damage due to pest and diseases.
Plant scientists and farmers are being helped in decision making due to the access to reliable weather forecast information from agricultural meteorologists. Throughout many months, they make small but frequent decisions about their crops, and the cumulative effect of the financial implications of those decisions can be significant. For example, a forecast of soil moisture for a strategic decision will be made on mean soil moisture conditions at the start of a season and modified based on the historical variance of soil moisture about the mean. In a tactical forecast, the current state of moisture in the soil is known, and based on seasonal climate forecasts the timing of increases or decreases of soil moisture throughout the growing season predicted. Based on this forecast the current planting date of a crop can be adjusted to take advantage of favorable soil moisture during critical growth stages. Forecasting about commencement of rainy season helps the plant scientists to advise farmers to sow crop at the right time (Biswas,2016).
In certain circumstances, when the weather forecast indicates longer dry seasons following short rainy seasons, the plant scientists will encourage farmers to arrange water harvesting or other water supplementary sources of enabling supplementary irrigation to maximize their yields.
Crop growth, or crop yield, requires appropriate amounts of moisture, light, and temperature. Detailed and accurate historical, real-time and forecast weather information can help plant scientists better understand and track the growth status or stage to make informed decisions. Having access to this data can guide them in making significant and potentially costly decisions, such as whether, when and how much to irrigate. Farming mostly depends on rainfall. Too much can overexpose and ruin a crop, whereas too little may cause it to dehydrate and die. By having access to weather forecast data, plant scientists may know when to plant and water a crop. Irrigation planning is a good example. If a farmer relies on a forecast for precipitation that turns out to be accurate, he saves the cost of unnecessary irrigation. And by having a good idea of the expected amount of rain over a period and irrigating just enough to allow crops to thrive, he or she will maximize yield (Eilts, 2018).
Additionally, weather forecast is really very important for the plant scientists to manage their crops. For example, if the weather forecast indicates that there will be rains at the time of harvesting, the plant scientists will advise the farmers to get prepared to harvest their products before being damaged by the rains. If floods are predicted during the harvesting time, better to harvest crop even if 60-75% crop is matured and this will help in averting total loss (Rachita, nd).
Wind and humidity can drastically affect crops through events such as forest fires and by observing these weather issues plant scientists can advise farmers to control the burning and prevent the spread of fire. Moreover, wind can also be measured in less endangering occurrences, such as strong gusts, and in such event fixtures will need to be attached to crops to allow them to stay upright and not damage. Another basic practice which can be initiated by the plant scientists is to advise the farmers to implement the practice of planting crops near shady areas, such as large trees, and by doing so they can ensure their plants are not overly exposed to sunlight and grow to their full capacity. Therefore, by applying this rationale to farming, farmers can increase yield and produce larger, quality harvests (Wikibooks, 2019).
In conclusion, agricultural meteorology is important to plant scientists as it helps in planning cropping systems, selecting of sowing dates and crop varieties, reduce losses of applied chemicals and fertilizers, eliminating outbreak of pests and diseases, in season cultivation and irrigation, efficient harvesting of crops and pre-season crop marketing decisions and managing weather abnormalities like cyclones, forest fire, dust storm, heavy rainfall, floods, drought etc. achieved by weather forecasting.
References
- Eilts, M. (2018). The role of weather and weather forecasting in Agriculture. Retrieved on 25th September, 2019 from https://blog.weatherops.com/the-role-of-weather-and-weather-forecasting-in-agriculture
- Biswas, J.C. (2016). Relationship between weather forecast and agriculture productivity. Retrieved on 27th September, 2019 from https://www.researchgate.net/post/relationship_between_weather_forecast_and_agriculture_productivity
- Gommes, R. (2001). What can modern agricultural meteorology do for the subsistence farmers. Retrieved on 14th October,2019 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242235500_what_can_modern_agricultural_meteorology_do_for_the_subsistence_farmers
- Griffiths, J.F. (1994). Handbook of Agriculture Meteorology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Hollinger, S.E. (nd). Meteorology forecasting for agriculture production. USA: Champaign, Illinois
- Johnson, H.D. (1994). Animal physiology. In J.F. Griffiths (ed), Handbook of Agricultural Meteorology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Newas, R., Singh, S., Singh, D., Singh, R., & Khichar, M.L. (2006). A Text Book on Agriculture Meteorology. India: Department of Agricultural Meteorology.
- Rachita, G. (nd). Agrometeorology. Definition and uses. Retrieved on 1st October, 2019 from http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/agrometeorology/agrometeorology-definition-and-uses/88752
- Wikibooks, (2019). Introductory Agrometeorology. Retrieved on 1st October, 2019 from https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/introductory_Agrometeorology/introduction
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