Rainfed Areas’ Typical Climate and Soil Conditions

In rainfed agriculture, soil quality and weather are two key determinants of crop productivity. In general, quality of rainfed soils is poor. These have very little resilience and buffering capabilities. In arid and semi-arid regions, the soils are over-salted (saline-alkali soils), while in sub-humid and humid regions, the soils are acidic (acid soils). Micronutrients and ameliorants, particularly lime, are inadequate and require periodic supplementation. The soils are not suitable for intense cropping since they are primarily coarse textured, extensively deteriorated, have a low capacity to retain water, and have multiple nutritional deficits. Furthermore, climate is one of the major factors influencing crop growth. In dry farming areas, weather, a component of climate, is crucial to crop planning. Rainfall is one of the many weather factors that is crucial to the success of dry farming. Annual rainfall ranges from 400 to 700 mm. Rainfall that is erratic and unevenly distributed makes rainfed farming challenging. Depression is prevalent in late July and early August. Again, late August and September see plenty of rain. Rainfall completely stops until mid-October. In September, the likelihood of precipitation is better than half the average. In different areas of India, different types of climate, viz., arid climate, semi-arid, sub-humid climate, and pre-humid and humid zones are found.