A study on the effect of weather parameters on the the population dynamics of Spodoptera litura (S.litura) in soybean and cotton during kharif season using six years pest data (pheromone trap catches) at Niphad and Rahuri in Maharashtra showed that rainfall two weeks prior, Tmax and Tmin during the week of incidence signifiantly contributed towards the occurrence of S.litura in soybean. Maximum temperature and morning humidity during the week and one week prior were found to be favourable for the incidence of S. litura in cotton. Temperature (maximum: 26-27°C & minimum: 21-22°C), morning relative humidity (above 90%) and rainfall during one week prior were found to be congenial weather parameters for the outbreak of the pest in soybean. Similarly, maximum temperature around 32-33°C, minimum temperature around 22-23°C, morning relative humidity around 90 per cent, sunshine hours about 4 hrs day-1 and rainfall during the previous 2 weeks favoured heavy incidence of S.litura in cotton crop during flowering to boll formation stages. It is also shown how the incidence of S.litura in soybean and cotton can be predicted well in advance using the observed relationship of the pest with weather parameters as well as weather forecast.

Among the extreme weather events hailstorm in recent past caused significant crop damage across the country. In 2014 and 2015 unseasonal rains and hailstorms during March and April damaged rabi crops as well as horticultural crops extensively in many parts of the country. In this paper, a detailed analysis of occurrence of hailstorm in four homogenous regions of India during past 35 years from 1981 to 2015 has been made, to find out the climatological and favourable synoptic aspects associated with hailstorms so that timely issuing of warning and Agromet Advisories could minimize the crop damage/loss. Maximum hailstorms were observed to have occurred in Maharashtra (31 years) during the period of study with highest occurrence of 11 days during 24 February to 14 March, 2014. Also Maharashtra is more prone to hailstorms than other States in the country with maximum probability of occurrence (91-95%) while the probability of occurrence (6-10%) is least in Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland. The significant synoptic situations associated with occurrence of hailstorms are found to be the north-south line of wind discontinuity causing convective activity and systems in westerlies. The information generated in this study was found to be very useful in minimizing crop loss through operational agromet services launched by the India Meteorological Department/Ministry of Earth Sciences in collaboration with the Agromet Field Units (AMFUs) located at State Agricultural Universities and institutes of ICAR and IITs under the project Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS).

Water requirement and water use efficiency of sorghum was studied at Akola, Parbhani, Rahuri and Coimbatore. The study enables to understand the consumptive water demand of sorghum and water use efficiency in relation to yield. The results can be used for efficient management of both rainfall and limited water resources available for sorghum production. Seasonal Evapotranspiration (ET) losses were studied for non- irrigated kharif sorghum at Akola and Parbhani and for Rahuri and Coimbatore seasonal ET losses were studied for rabi sorghum for well distributed normal and deficit rainfall years. In the normal rainfall years ET losses were more compared to deficit rainfall years. However, water use efficiency was found higher during deficit rainfall years than normal rainfall years. The seasonal ET- yield relationship was found positively correlated but insignificant for Akola, Parbhani, Rahuri and significant for Coimbatore (5% level). At Akola and Parbhani optimum yields were observed for seasonal ET of around 486 mm and 470 mm respectively. At Coimbatore maximum yield was observed for seasonal ET of 416 mm whereas at Rahuri yield was maximum when ET loss was about 475 mm. Water Use Efficiency (WUE) ranged from 6.3 to 12.2 mm for kharif season and 5.5 to 10.1 mm for rabi sorghum. Crop coefficient Kc was found negligible during early growth stages and reached peak during flowering stage and declined subsequently during maturity to harvesting stage. The study revealed that during deficit rainfall years life saving irrigation need to be applied for all stations under consideration. If limited irrigation is available irrigations at vegetative stage (25-35 days after sowing) and at boot- flowering stage (55-65 days after sowing) be given. The boot stage is found to be the most critical stage and if only one irrigation is available, it may be given at this stage. Water stress at this stage is found to cause reduction in yield by 35 to 40%.

Although, the impact of flood and associated loss in human and cattle lives, agricultural production and structural/public utility damages have shown decreasing trend in the meteorological subdivision of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Uttaranchal mostly due to effective early flood warning issued by IMD and proper and timely administrative measures taken by the state authority, yet this disastrous weather and associated loss need macro-level socio-economic impact study as they remain an important functional component in the disastrous management. Floods in Uttar Pradesh caused losses in food production, damages to the public utility/structure and homes to the tune of hundreds of crores of rupees, affecting large numbers of people both in rural and urban areas. Thus, economy suffered set back every year. Since independence there have been all round development in controlling the ravages of flood by constructing dams in the river basin and bandharas in the river tributaries in villages, but still lot more needs to be done as floods cause havoc in some parts or other every year. This means that attention will have to be focused on the management of flood and its impact on the people. The major agricultural production loss is due to erosion of standing crop due to strong water current or due to standing water for a long time causing rotting. At the micro-level loss due to such factors need to be considered at village level and measures to be adapted for minimizing losses. However, such studies require large resources. The present study aims to analyse the effect of flood in causing loss of life, damage of structure and agricultural production loss in different meteorological sub-divisions of Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. This will be helpful in resource allocation for macro-level planning by the state government for saving lives and reducing the other losses. The state of UP suffered the maximum losses in agricultural production due to severe flood in the entire state. Entire state of UP was affected due to severe flood in 1988 when 611 persons lost their lives and hundreds of cattle heads perished, 2.05 million people in 3441 villages affected. Similarly in 1990 and 1995 severe floods in Ganga and its tributaries caused havoc when 280 and 242 people died and thousands of cattle heads perished and crop worth Rs. 481.8 crores damaged in 1990. Maximum loss of cattle lives was reported in the year 1983 when 3116 cattles lost their lives in UP. In UP losses of food grain production to the tune of Rs. 482 and 340 crores due to flood in the entire state in 1990 and 1992 respectively were the maximum losses reported in recent years. In east UP the maximum loss in human lives was observed in 1998 when 383 persons died due to flood followed by 382 and 212 persons in the year 1988 and 2001 respectively. The losses of human and cattle lives were also considerably high in west and central UP. Uttaranchal reported the minimum loss both in human and cattle lives due to flood. The total loss in human lives during the study period from east, west, central UP and Uttaranchal were 2485, 911, 416 and 966 respectively. Trends in losses of human/cattle lives, agricultural production and structure/public utility due to flood in different meteorological subdivisions of UP are worked out and presented. It is observed that though loss of human lives have declined gradually in all the meteorological subdivisions of UP, however, loss of cattle lives showed gradual increasing trend in all the sub-divisions of UP. Inspite of the efforts of the flood meteorological offices (FMO) of IMD and flood control units in keeping the round-the-clock watch during Flood Alert situations and also providing meteorological and flood control supports to the Central Flood Forecasting Divisions of Central Water Commission and to the administrative authority by issuing Hydromet Bulletins and providing other necessary support to control the floods in flood prone regions and also in other regions where flood occurrence is infrequent, some constraints stand in the way of minimization of losses of human/cattle lives, loss in production of food grains and damages of structure/public utility. The identified constraints are lack of planning for flood control and timely action for fighting the flood situation for regions of infrequent flood occurrence, lack of facilities such as telecommunications, transport and stock of depots with tool, equipment etc. and patrols and watches along the embankments etc. The decreasing/no trends observed in losses of human and cattle lives, agricultural production and damages of structure and public utility have made us believe that onward march of improved flood forecasting techniques and timely measures by the administrative authority of the states will help in reducing the losses. However, meeting the challenges on flood control through construction of dams and canals in the coming decades will depend on the quantum and direction in investment made today. Therefore, minimizing losses from the flood prone and other regions are the task that will call for the integration of the best in flood forecasting technology with adequate infrastructural facilities at micro level. In Uttar Pradesh accurate and timely precipitation input supplied from FMO, Lucknow and the same issued by CWC (Central Water Commission), timely and appropriate measures taken by the administrative authority have played important role in minimizing the losses due to flood.

A study was conducted with high yielding Jaya variety of rice grown during kharif and rabi seasons in sandy loam soil under rainfed and irrigated condition respectively at Pattambi. The analysis was based on a simple multiple regression technique for developing, the equation and then considering one element at a time as variable when other elements were considered constant. The study enables determination of response of Jaya variety yield to different ranges of weather parameters in kharif and rabi seasons. Rainfall was found to be negatively correlated with yield in both the rice growing seasons when water requirement is fully met from rainfall or when it is grown under irrigated condition in rabi season. Very high rainfall in kharif or relatively high rainfall in rabi season were found detrimental causing reduction in rice yield in both\ the seasons. For both the seasons mean maximum and minimum temperature of 29° C and about 22° C appear ideal for optimum yield. More hours of bright Sunshine (³700 hours) during rabi season favoured higher rice yield where as yield remained more or less constant when the kharif rice experienced bright sunshine in the range of 300 to 500 hours.

In this study an attempt has been made to study the relation of yield of sugarcane with the weather parameters during different growth phases. The study revealed that the yield in general, depends differently on various weather parameters at each of the stages. Higher maximum and minimum temperature above 31.7°C and 14.7°C at germination and tillering stages were more beneficial. The study also revealed that higher wind above 1.8 kmlh at early and active growth stages are detrimental for sugarcane production. Higher amount of rainfall as well as higher evapotranspiration (ET) losses at tillering and vegetative growth stages and higher morning relative humidity ≥ 70% at germination and higher afternoon humidity ≥ 32% at tillering stages were found beneficial for growth. The multiple regression equations were developed using the most predominant variable and other important meterological parameters as determined by stepwise multiple regression techniques. The study revealed that germination, tillering, early growth, active growth and elongation stages accounted for 61.9, 42.8, 69.2, 78.1 and 44.8 percent variation in yield. The multiple correlation coefficient were significant either at 1% or 5% level. The combination of tillering, early growth, active growth and elongation phases accounted for 89.8 percent variation in yield.