Drought management strategies and

contingent crop planning:

Mid season correction.
 ADAPTATIONS TO MOISTURE STRESS

ESCAPING DROUGHT
DROUGHT
1. Ephemerals
RESISTANCE
2. Early varieties

DROUGHT DROUGHT
AVOIDANCE TOLERANCE

Restricting Accelerating
transpiration water uptake Mitigating stress High tolerance
(water savers) (water spenders)
1. Early stomata closure 1.Resistance to
1.Efficient root system
2. Increased dehydration
2.High root/top ratio 1.Metabolic strain
photosynthetic 2.Thick cuticle
3.Increases osmotic 2.Plastic strain
efficiency 3.Maintenance of
3. Low rate of cuticular potential
high osmotic
respiration pressure
4. Lipid deposition on
foliage
5. Reduced leaf area
6. Morphology of leaf
surface
7. Water storage in plant
Weather Aberrations in Dry lands

Weather aberrations are normal features of dry land and one has to
keep prepared to face these situations.

They are inseparable part of life. There are at least four important
aberrations in the rainfall behavior.

I. Commencement of rains quite early or delayed

II. Prolonged "breaks during the cropping season

III. Spatial and/or temporal aberrations.

IV. Early withdrawal of monsoon

 Contingency crop planning
• Contingent crop plan is the change over cropping in
place of normally sown crop highly suitable and
profitable crop of the tract
• But for aberration of weather situations needs change
in planned crop.
• The choice of crops should be such that the duration of crop
coincides with length of the growing season.
• Adoption of suitable planting geometry, plant density, time,
dose fertilizer application is crucial.
 Rainfall aberration Effect on crops

Delay in onset of rainfall Length of cropping season or cropping

duration is reduced - crop sowing is
delayed
Early withdrawal or cessation Moisture stress at maturity grain filling
of rainfall is affected (terminal stress)
Intermediate dry spells
a. Immediately after sowing Germination affected, population
reduced
b. At vegetative phase Affects stem elongation, leaf area
expansion, branching or tillering
c. At flowering Affects anthesis and pollination grain /
pod number reduced
d. At ripening Grain filling and size reduced
Mid season correction:

• Mid season correction is a contingent management

practice
• To overcome unexpected or unfavorable weather
condition
• Such as early cessation of monsoon rains or a long
drought in between two rains.
• The drought may extend over a period of three to 4
to 5 to 6 weeks.
1. Thinning of crop stands particularly the more sensitive
component in a crop mixture such as sorghum-redgram
intercropping.

2. If adequate rains are received after a near killing drought

and there is yet long enough season, ratooning of
sorghum and bajra helped greatly.

3. Other practices like spraying cycocel in barley and wheat

to reduce plant growth and encourage root growth in rainfed
conditions and nipping in chickpea to reduce vegetative
growth are also followed.
Rainfall abnormality Contingency plan and midterm correction
1. Delayed onset of rainfall

a) Delay exceeding 3-4 Alternate crops of short duration to be sown

weeks
Delay in South west
monsoon
Normal - June Groundnut
Delay - July Ragi / pearl millet
Delay - August Samai / Cowpea

Delay in South west

monsoon
Normal - October Cotton / Sorghum
Delay- Early November Sunflower / Pearl millet / Ragi
Delay - Late November Coriander / Senna

b) Delay of 1-2 weeks Alternate varieties of short duration of same crop

Eg. Sorghum Co 19 (150 days) Co 25 (110 days)
Red gram local (180 days) Co 5 (130 days)
Rainfall abnormality Contingency plan and midterm correction

2. Early withdrawal of Antitranspirant spray, harvesting for fodder

rainfall (millets) harvesting at physiological maturity
3. Intermediary dry
spell
a. Immediately after Gap filling with subsequent rains if stand
sowing reduction is less than 20%. Re-sowing if stand
reduction is more than 20%, mulching
between crop rows. Stirring soil surface to
create dust mulch to reduce evaporation

b. At vegetative phase Mulching, antitranspirants spray, spraying

potassium chloride, thinning of 33-50%
population
c. At flowering Antitranspirants spray, harvesting for fodder
and ratooning with subsequent rains in millets
(e.g) sorghum

d. At ripening Antitranspirants spray, harvesting for fodder,

harvesting at physiological maturity
 Mitigating adverse effect of aberrant
weather
• Three important aberrations in the rainfall are more
common
1. Commencement of rains may be early or
considerably delay
2. Prolonged dry spells during southwest monsoon
3. Rains may terminate earlier than normal cessation
date or may continue beyond normal rainy season
• Management options to mitigate adverse effect of
aberrant weather can minimise the risk of total rainy
season
1. Late onset of monsoon

• Crops and varieties recommended for normal onset of

monsoon may not be remunerative for delayed sowing
due to late onset of monsoon
Transplanting
• Community nurseries under irrigation
• Transplanting taken up with the receipt of rains
• Finger millet, pearl millet, sorghum, and foxtail millet
are well adapted to tranplantation
 Alternate crops/ varieties
• Certain crops and varieties can perform better
even in sown late in the season.
• Castor is more remunerative in red soils of
Telangana than pigeon pea under late sown
conditions
• Sunflower because of SD, performs better than
G.nut sowing delayed beyond September first
fortnight in deeper red soils
• In W. Rajasthan, SD green gram and cowpea
are more remunerative than pearl millet when
sown late
2. Early season stress

Season starting in time with good rainfall followed by

long dry spells
• Off season tillage – reduce weed proliferation
• Primary tillage started with onset of monsoon
• initial long dry spell – deep tilled open soil loses
more moisture –instead of deep tillage, a shallow
tillage to cover large area and for utilizing the
available soil soaking rains for planting
• If onset of monsoon with heavy showers >100 mm –
deep tillage – conservation of moisture and
restricting weed emergence
• Ridges and furrows – enhance rainwater
infiltration oppurtunity time – more moisture
conserved
• Along with ridges and furrows dyking at 4-8 m
interval of dead furrows – conserving runoff
• Compartmental bunding (3x3m to 5x5m) on large
scale is effective in low rainfall areas
• Prolonged dry spells – seedlings may wither and
adequate plant stand cannot be maintained
• If gaps < 25 % compared to optimum – gap fill
• If gaps > 50 % - resow Short duration crop
3. Mid season stress
Occur due to break in monsoon conditions after the
establishment of the crops
• Inter cultivation – conserve moisture by creating dust
mulch and weed free condition
• Vertical mulching, dyking, compartmental bunding – before
planting
• Suface mulching with organic materials extend period of
water storage – minimising heat load
• Formation of dead furrows in b/w crop rows – better
moisture conservation with subsequent rains
• Application of supplemental irrigation to stressed crop –
water harvesting pond exists
• Top dressing after relief of moisture stress during pre-
flowering periods
• Removing lower leaves of plants
• Reduced plant population by the way of thinning
• Use of anit ranspirants etc
In drought years, complete crop failure can be
avoided by adopting mid-term corrections
• Removing the susceptible component and allowing
the resistant component in intercropping system
• Removing main component and sowing of rabi crop
if rain received late
• Ratooning in case of sorghum and bajra can be
done successfully
Weed control
• Weeds compete with crops for nutrients, water and
natural resources. Such competition for soil water
from weeds can be reduced by timely weed control
Ratooning/thinning
• Rate of soil moisture depletion increases with leaf area
• If drought at 40-50 DAS – reduce leaf area by rationing
or thinning the plant population
• Sorghum and pearl millet responds to rationing
• 2 % urea spray after drought period is useful for
intermediate crops like castor, pigeonpea and
groundnut
4. Early withdrawal of monsoon
• Early withdrawal of monsoon before rabi
seeding leads to problems of crop stand
establishment and terminal drought
• Rabi seeding – as far as possible in early
September to avoid these problems

5. Extended monsoon
• It benefits long duration kharif crops taken as
component crops in intercropping system and
also advantages for rabi crops in vertisols
Agro-techniques for mitigating Water Stress
 Foliar spray of 2% DAP + 1% KCl (MOP) during critical stages of
flowering and grain formation
 3% Kaoline spray at critical stages of moisture stress
 Foliar spray of 500 ppm Cycocel (1 ml of commercial product
per litre of water)
 Mulching with 5 tones of sorghum / sugarcane trash, which
saves 19-20% of irrigation water by reducing evaporation loss of
water
 Split application of N and K fertilizers as in cotton at 45 and 60
DAS
 Use of biofertilizers viz., Azospirillum or phosphobacteria @ 10
packets / ha along with 25 kg of soil or FYM
Agro-techniques for mitigating Water Stress
• Application of 12.5 kg / ha along with 37.5 kg of sand
• Seed hardening with 1% KH2PO4 for 6 – 8 hours soaked in equal
volume of water
• Spray of 40 ppm NAA (4 ml of Planofix in 4.5 litres of water)
• Seed treatment + soil application + foliar spray of Pink Pigmented
Facultative Methnaotrops (PPFM)
• As in cotton, nipping terminal portion of main stem beyond 15th (at
70 - 80 DAS) and at 20th node (at 90 DAS) in the case of hybrids and
varieties respectively for arresting transpiratory loss of water
• Foliar spray of 0.5% zinc sulphate + 0.3 % boric acid + 0.5 %
Ferrous sulphate + 1% urea during critical stages of moisture stress
Beneficial effect on PPFM

 Fasten seed germination and seedling growth

 Accelerate vegetative growth

 Increase leaf area index and chlorophyll content

 Earliness in flowering, fruit set and maturation

 Improves fruit quality, color and seed weight

 Yield increase by 10%

 Mitigate drought
Method of Application

• Seed treatment – Imbibe seed in 1.0 % volume for 5-

10min (depending on seed)

• Foliar Spray of 1% PPFM

• Spray during morning or evening

• Recommended for all crops

• Spray at critical stage of crop growth (or) 30days

interval

• Precaution : Do not mix with pesticide / fungicide

Cotton
• KC 11 and KC 12

• Apply TNAU mixture @7.5kg/ha as enriched FYM

• TNAU PGR foliar formulation @ 1.5%

concentration a square and boll formation stages

• Intercropped with pulses, one paired row of cotton

is alternated with two rows of pulses
• Cotton and pulses can be sown at a depth of 5 cm
in black cotton soil

• Pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin 3.3

l/ha followed by one hand weeding on 40 days after
crop emergence

• Sufficient soil moisture is not available for

applying herbicides hand weeding may be given at
10 - 20 days after crop emergence
• Spray 0.5% urea and 1% KCl on the 45th and 65th
day of sowing if sufficient moisture is available.

• Foliar spray of TNAU Cotton Plus @ 2.5 kg/acre in

200 litres of water at flowering and at boll
formation stages
• reduces flower and square shedding,
• improves boll bursting,
• increases seed cotton yield and
• imparts drought tolerance.
Sorghum
• Co 28, Co 30 (105 days) and K12 (95 days)
• Pre-soaked in 2% potassium di hydrogen phosphate
solution for 6 hours in equal volume

• Dried back to its original moisture content in shade and

sown

• Seeds with 1% aquous fresh leaf extract of Prosopis juliflora

and pungam mixed in 1:1 for 16 hrs at 1:0.6 ratio (Seed and
solution)

• Drying and subsequently pelleting the seeds with Pungam

leaf powder @300 g/kg with gruel
• Halogenise the seeds containing CaOCl, CaCO3
and arappu leaf powder @ 5:4:1 ratio

• Iodine based (containing 2 mg of Iodine in 3 g of

CaCO3) formulation @ 3g/kg packed in polylined
cloth bag to maintain seed viability for more than
10 months

• The seed is pelletised with 15 g of Chlorpyriphos in

150 ml of gum and shade dried
• Coimbatore 37-38th week (II to III week of September)

• Erode 38th week (III week of September)

• Sivaganga 40th week (I week of October)

• Ramanathapuram 40th week (I week of October)

• Thoothukudi 39th -40th week (Last week of September to I week of

October)

• Vellore, Tiruvannamalai 37th -38th week (September II week to

September III week)
• Spacing of 15 cm in the paired rows spaced 60 cm apart.

• Sow the pulse seeds to fall 10 cm apart in the furrows

between the paired rows of Sorghum.

• Atrazine @ 0.25 kg/ha as pre-emergence application

within 3 days after the receipt of the soaking rainfall for
sole sorghum

• Intercropping system with pulses, use Pendimethalin at

0.75 kg/ha (or) as a pre-plant incorporation of
isoproturan@ 0.5 kg ha-1
Maize

• Co(HM) 6 and Co(HM) 8

• 125 : 37.5: 37.5 NPK kg/ha for hybrid maize

• Apply half of N and full dose of P2 O5 and K2O with

enriched FYM as basal

• Top dress the remaining half of N at tasseling.

• Apply TNAU MN mixture @ 7.5 kg /ha as Enriched FYM

• Prepare enriched FYM at 1:10 ratio of MN mixture & FYM

• Mix at friable moisture & incubate for one month in shade

• Maize + Cowpea or Maize + Black gram is
recommended .

• For Vertisols of Southern district, Maize + Red gram

intercropping systems is ideal

• Foliar spray of TNAU Maize Maxim @ 3 kg/acre in

200 litres of water at tassel initiation and at grain
filling stages
• improves grain filling,
• grain yield and
• drought tolerance
 Cumbu
• Co 10 (95 days)

• Soaking seeds either in 2% KCl or 3% NaCl for 16 hours followed

by 5 hours shade drying improves germination and stand.

• If pulse is intercropped,

• Adopt a spacing of 30 x 15 cm for pearl millet and 30 x 10 cm for

pulses.
• One pair row of pearl millet is alternated with a single row of pulse

crop.
• Pre emergence - Atrazine 0.25 kg/ha on 3 DAS as spray on the soil

surface
Ragi
• Paiyur 2 (115 days)

• Line sowing is ideal and a spacing of 22.5 – 30 cm between rows

• Soak seeds in water for 6 hours. 1 litre of water/kg

• Drain the water and keep the seeds in wet cloth bag tightly tied
for two days.

• Seeds will show initial signs of germination.

• Remove seeds from the wet cloth bag and dry them in shade on
a dry cloth for 2 days.

• Use the above hardened seeds for sowing.

• Entire P2O5 and K2O are to be applied at sowing,

• Whereas nitrogen is to be applied in two or three

split doses depending upon moisture availability.

• In areas of and moisture availability, 50% of

recommended nitrogen at sowing and the remaining
50% in two equal splits at 25-30 and 40-45 days
• For direct sown crop post-emergence application of 2, 4
D Sodium salt (or) EE formulation at 0.5 kg ha -1 applied
on 10 days or 0.75 kg ha-1 applied on 15 days after
sowing

• Apply, Isoproturon @ 0.5 a.i/ha as pre-emergence on 3

DAS is also effective in control of weeds

• Finger millet based inter cropping system with pigeon

pea at 4:1 ratio to obtain high grain yield
Pulses
• Red gram Co (RG) 7 and VBN 3
• Black gram Co 6 and VBN 8.
• Green gram Co 8 and VBN 3

• Foliar spray of Spray of NAA 40 mg/lt once at pre-flowering and

another at 15 days thereafter

• Foliar spray of Pulse wonder @ 5 kg/ha once at flowering or DAP 20

g/litre or Urea 20 g/litre once at flowering and another at 15 days
thereafter.

• Foliar spray of salicylic acid 100 mg/litre once at pre flowering and
another at 15 days there after
Tenai

• Co 7 (80 -85 days)

• For line planting 22.5 cm x 10 cm (10 cm in
between plants)
• First weeding on 15th DAS and the second on 40th
DAS
• 40 kg N and 20 kg P2O5
• 1800kg/ha
Kudiraivali

• Co 2 and MDU 1 (95 days)

• 25 cm apart
• 40 kg N, 30 kg P2O5 and 50 kg K2O per ha
• Critical stage: panicle initiation stage
• 2000 kg/ha
Samai

• Co 3 and Co 4 (75 – 80days)

• For line planting 25 x 10 cm

• Nitrogen : 44 kg/ha

• Phosphorus : 22 kg/ha

• 1500 kg/ha
Varagu

• Co 3 (120 days)

• For line planting 45 x 10 cm

• Nitrogen 44 kg/ha Phosphorus 22 kg/ha

• 1800 kg/ha
Panaivaragu

• Co 5 (70 days)

• 25 x 10 cm

• 40 kg N, 20 kg P2O5 and 20 kg K2O per ha.

• Tillering stage is sensitive

• 2300 kg/ha