Punjab Agriculture in crisis due to climatic changes:study

Ludhiana, May 4 (UNI) Punjab agriculture is in a crisis due to climatic changes since 1970.

Fluctuating temperatures and erratic rain patterns, pose new challenges to scientists and threaten the farm sector.

Agro-meteorologists of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have come up with revelations on how agriculture is getting impacted or is likely to be effected in the future due to weather changes.

PAU scientist,Dr Prabhjyot Kaur Sidhu while referring to her studies of the changing weather patterns observed ''These changes are due to green house gases that have led to global warming and depleting ozone layer. This will impact agriculture, requiring scientists to work on new technologies and strategies for crop, fruit and vegetable varieties and hybrid and are resistant or tolerant to temperature variations and low on water requirement''.

This will also mean a change in sowing time or agronomic managements practices and exigencies.'' Planting different varieties of crops in the same agro-climatic zone due to regional weather changes will be imperative, as regional weather changes will mean presence of particular pest infestations'' Dr Sidhu said while talking to UNI here today.

According to the study the changing weather will also impact population dynamics of insect pests, soil moisture storage, irrigation water availability, mineralisation of nutrients and consequently impinge on socio-economic life. The warmer climate will lower yields of wheat and paddy and many species of flora and fauna may perish or migrate.

With weather playing a spoilsport, this year wheat yield in Punjab is expected to be lower by about eight per cent to 10 per cent.

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