Thursday, July 12, 2012 - Agricultural Meteorology Division

SOUTH INDIA [TN, AP, KERALA, KARNATAKA, LAKSHADWEEP, ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS]
Realised Rainfall: Most of the districts in Coastal Karnataka, Chickmagalur, Kodagu and Shimoga districts in
South Interior Karnataka, Alapuzzha, and Pathanamthitta districts in Kerala, East and West Godavari, Guntur
and Krishna districts in Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Chittoor in Rayalaseema, most of the districts in Telangana
except Hyderabad, Mehbubnagar and Rangareddy and Puducherry, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai and Nilgiris
districts in Tamil Nadu received sufficient rainfall. No significant rainfall occurred over the remaining parts of the
region.
Rainfall Forecast: Rain/thundershowers would occur at many places over Kerala and Coastal Karnataka and
isolated over rest of the region.
Advisories:
‣ Due to subdued rainfall in North and South Interior Karnataka, normal sowing operations has been delayed.
Farmers are advised to follow the contingency planning.
‣ Kerala: Continue sowing of direct seeded rice and nursery sowing / transplanting of Virippu rice. Also
continue new plantation of coconut, arecanut and pepper.
‣ North Interior Karnataka: In Central Dry region, sowing is not started and in some areas, early sown
crops like cotton, maize and direct sown rice are under moisture stress. Land preparation and transplanting
of rice could not be undertaken due to no rainfall. In North transition region (Dharwad), sowing of
groundnut, sorghum, maize and cotton and transplanting of chilli is not started due to insufficient rainfall.
Contingent planning i.e sowing of tobacco, groundnut, cotton, maize, cowpea and sunflower(SB-275)
instead of soybean and Maize+ red gram, groundnut+red gram will be taken up. In Bidar and one taluk of
Gulbarga, sowing of red gram, green gram black gram, jowar and soyabean completed with the help of
realized rainfall. In north dry region particularly in Bijapur, Bagalkote, Gadag and Koppal districts, sowing
of green gram and black gram is not yet started. As and when the monsoon becomes active and sufficient
wetting rainfall is received in the month of July, as contingent crop plan, sowing of onion, cucumber,
ridgeguard, sesamum, maize, sunflower, niger, castor, Bajra, groundnut (spreading), redgram, cotton,
navane, horsegram, tobacco or cowpea, intercropping viz. Bajra + Groundnut -bunch (2:4); Bajra + Redgram
(2:1); Maize/Groundnut (bunch) + Redgram (4:2), Kharif sorghum + redgram (5:1), Redgram + sesamum
(1:2 or 2:4); redgram + horsegram (2:1) or chilli + desi cotton will be taken up in Northern Dry Zone
(Bijapur, Gadag and Bagalkot districts).
‣ South Interior Karnataka: crops which are sown earlier (20% area) during first fortnight of May (sunhemp,
arhar, green gram, black gram and cowpea) especially in northern districts of South Interior Karnataka are
withering and resowing is advised after retrieval of monsoon. Remaining 80% of the normal area sown
sowing is withheld however cut-off date is the end of July. New sowing as well as resowing will be done
with revival of monsoon. Sowing of finger millet, maize, sunflower, redgram (medium duration varieties
like BRG-1, 2) will be undertaken instead of groundnut after revival of monsoon. (Detailed Contingency
plan for Karnataka given in Annexure-III).
‣ Tamil Nadu: Continue nursery preparation and transplanting of Kuruvai rice.
‣ Andhra Pradesh: In Rayalaseema, sowing of groundnut and castor is completed in 10-20% area by end of
June. Sowing restarted where sufficient rainfall has received. However cut-off date is still upto first week of
August. Sowing of bajra and red gram can be taken up upto 31 st July. In Telengana, undertake direct
sowing of rice, groundnut and red gram after receipt of sufficient rainfall. In coastal Andhra Pradesh,
continue nursery sowing / transplanting of rice, sowing of kharif crops like cotton, jowar, maize, ragi, castor,
groundnut and pulses.
‣ Farmers in the Coastal Zone of Karnataka are advised to continue transplanting paddy seedlings after draining
out excess water from main paddy field due to heavy rain received in the last couple of days, avoid application of
fertilizer and weedicides to paddy, due to leaching loss. Undertake planting of cashew, mango, papaya and
coconut.
‣ Farmers in the North Transition Zone of Karnataka are advised to take up land preparation to harvest the
rainwater, keep the land ready for sowing (Detailed Contingency plan for Karnataka given in Annexure-III).
‣ Farmers in the North Dry Zone of Karnataka are advised to start sowing of groundnut during first fortnight of
July (15th July) and sowing of maize and sunflower up to the end of July, as and when the monsoon becomes
active and sufficient wetting rainfalls are received. Farmers are also advised to take up fresh plantation of fruit
trees.
‣ Farmers in the North East Dry Zone of Karnataka are advised to continue intercropping of Redgram +greengram
(2:4 or 1:2), Bajra+redgram (2:1) , Sorghum+redgram (3:1), Castor+Redgram, continue sowing of red gram,
bajra wherever intercropping is to be done, continue cotton sowing/dibbling undertake inter cultivation in all
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