Climatic suitability analysis

The climatic suitability analysis involves matching of crop/LUT requirements with prevailing climatic conditions. It comprises the following activities:

  1. Compilation of crop adaptability inventory for the selected crops and specification of crop/LUT specific temperature and moisture requirements;

  2. Matching crop temperature requirements with prevailing temperature regime;

  3. Determining optimal cropping calendar and calculation of potential biomass and yield;

  4. Calculating crop/LUT specific water deficit and applying moisture stress related yield reduction factors (rain-fed); calculating irrigation water requirements (irrigated), and

  5. Formulating of crop/LUT specific agro-climatic constraints, accounting for expected yield losses due to factors related to climate conditions, such as incidence of pests, diseases and weeds, workability, and frost occurrence; application of relevant reduction factors to estimate average attainable yield in each grid-cell.

The results of the climatic suitability analysis are calculated in three steps. Step 1 produces a grid-cell specific agro-climatic characterization, including calculation of thermal climates, temperature profiles, and temperature and moisture growing period characteristics. Step 2 calculates temperature and radiation limited potential crop yields, quantifies moisture stress related yield reductions, and determines optimal crop calendars. Finally, Step 3 provides the average attainable crop yields. Results have been classified in five basic suitability classes according to attainable yield ranges relative to maximum potential crop yields, as follows:

Suitability class

Percentage of
maximum attainable yield

VS

Very Suitable

80 -100

S

Suitable

60 - 80

MS

Moderately Suitable

40 - 60

mS

Marginally Suitable

20 - 40

NS

Not Suitable

0 - 20


The climatic suitability analysis is described in terms of five subtopics:


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