Methods of agroclimatic regionalization
For delineating an agroclimatic region, two steps should be followed;
- Quantify the main climatic characteristics like heat, wind and moisture in the form of agroclimatic indices
- Mapping the geographical distribution of the indices in the form of agroclimatic region.
Steps of Agroclimatic regionalization
I. Delineation of climatically homogenous areas based on the topographic features and prevailing climatic conditions. This can be done by the analysis of the topographical, soil and climatic maps. Topographic map gives the information about slope, elevation and area cover; soil map deals with soil texture, structure, fertility and moisture content; climatic map deals with humidity, precipitation, radiation and temperature and wind motion.
ii. Identifying the climatic requirement of the different crops and crop varieties. For this we should know the climatic parameters that control growth and development of the crop.
iii. Assessing the pattern of climate of the given area
iv. Matching the climate requirement of the crop for a given area
v. Evaluating the suitability of crop