Introductory Agrometeorology and Climate Change

AGRO 105 is the BSc Agriculture course that explains how weather, climate, and atmospheric processes influence crop growth, field operations, and agricultural risk. It helps students connect meteorological concepts with real farming decisions and climate-related challenges.

The most important topics usually include atmosphere and weather variables, solar radiation, temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation, monsoon, drought, frost, weather forecasting, crop microclimate, evapotranspiration, climate variability, global warming, and the impact of climate change on agriculture. These topics form the core of the paper.

Weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, or wind on a particular day, while climate refers to the long-term pattern of these conditions over many years. This distinction is important because farmers use weather for immediate decisions and climate for broader planning and crop suitability.

The monsoon is important because Indian agriculture depends heavily on seasonal rainfall for sowing, water availability, and crop performance. In AGRO 105, students study monsoon behavior because it strongly affects both productivity and risk in Indian farming systems.

These are important because they are major weather hazards that can reduce germination, damage flowers or grain filling, increase water stress, and lower yield. AGRO 105 teaches students to understand not only normal weather but also the agricultural impact of extreme conditions.

Weather forecasting helps farmers and agricultural planners make better decisions about sowing, irrigation, spraying, harvesting, and risk management. In agrometeorology, the value of forecasting lies in turning weather information into practical field advisories.

PET, or potential evapotranspiration, represents the atmospheric demand for water under ideal moisture conditions, while AET, or actual evapotranspiration, is the water actually lost under real field conditions. Students are expected to understand this distinction because crop water use often differs from climatic demand.

Climate change affects agriculture by altering temperature patterns, rainfall behavior, evapotranspiration demand, pest and disease pressure, and the frequency of extreme events. AGRO 105 helps students understand these effects in the context of crop productivity, regional variability, and adaptation needs.