Minimum temperatures have risen above normal by 4 to 8 deg Celsius over many parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan and western Himalayan region and isolated pockets of Punjab.
This was a ‘welcome change' in weather for standing Rabi crops in some of these areas, which have been suffering ‘cold injury' from low temperatures over the past week or so.
This has been heralded by the arrival of the first of the twin western disturbances, expected to affect the western Himalayan region during the weekend and into the next.
DRY WEATHER
Latest agro-advisory bulletin from India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that mainly dry weather prevailed over the country during last week.
But this also meant cloudless skies, giving a free run for colder northwesterlies to fan into the region, keeping the minimum temperatures between 4 to 8 deg Celsius over most parts of northwest India.
They ranged between 8 and 12 deg Celsius over central, east and northeastern States and above normal by 1 to 2 deg Celsius over remaining parts of the country. But they were below normal by 2 to 4 deg Celsius over most parts of Telangana, Rayalaseema, Karnataka and parts of Marathwada.
In Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur divisions of Punjab, low temperatures inflicted cold injury on standing Rabi crops.
WELCOME RAINS
Farmers have been advised to apply light irrigation by sprinklers in vegetables particularly in brinjal, tomato, chillies and early sown cucurbits. The rains to be expectedly brought in by the western disturbances should help this cause.
Scattered rain or snow may occur over Jammu and Kashmir and isolated over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Saturday and increase thereafter, an IMD outlook said.
Farmers in these states are advised to monitor the crops and arrange for smoke around the field to manage impact of low temperature on crops.
Farmers in the rest of the country have been advised to complete intercultural operations utilising favourable weather conditions, wherever available. Harvesting of crops may be undertaken during the next three days.
EARLY HARVESTING
Potato, pea and papaya may be adversely affected due to low temperature in Nagaland. Irrigation should be applied to the crops or arrange for smoke around the field to save the crops. Early harvesting may also be useful for saving the crop.
Weather condition is favourable for sowing of summer groundnut, sunflower and soybean in Western Maharashtra; summer sesamum in central Vidarbha; early ‘ahu' rice in north bank plain zone of Assam; summer rice in central and northeastern plateau zone in Jharkhand; finger millet in the hill zone and summer maize and groundnut in southern transition zone in Karnataka; and rice fallow pulses in Cauvery delta zone in Tamil Nadu.
PEST HAZARD
Farmers are advised to undertake land preparation and sowing of these crops.
Due to congenial weather conditions there is possibility of incidence of white rust in late sown mustard in eastern zone in Haryana and sub humid southern plain and Aravali Hill zone in Rajasthan; yellow rust in wheat in Punjab; downey mildew in cruciferous vegetables in Himachal Pradesh; powdery mildew in methi, pea, cumin and coriander; termite in wheat and barley in Jaipur and Dausa divisions of Rajasthan; aphids in mustard in Delhi; and powdery mildew in cumin in South Saurashtra zone.
Farmers are advised to adopt appropriate plant protection measures to avoid severe crop damage, the IMD advisory said.
EASTERLY WAVE
An easterly wave is expected to affect extreme south peninsular India during the next three days. A satellite picture showed convective clouds over Jammu and Kashmir and parts of southwest Bay of Bengal.
Forecast valid until Wednesday next spoke about the possibility of fairly widespread rain/snowfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rain/snowfall over western Himalayan region and isolated rain/thundershowers over adjoining plains of northwest India.
Scattered rain/thundershowers are likely would occur over south Tamil Nadu and Kerala.