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International Journal of Environment, Ecology,

Family and Urban Studies (IJEEFUS)


ISSN(P): 2250-0065; ISSN(E): 2321-0109
Vol. 6, Issue 5, Oct 2016, 47-54
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

DELINEATION OF AGRO MICRO METEOROLOGICAL AREAS FOR TAMIL NADU


USING REMOTE SENSING AND GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM
ARCHANA U. S, SATHYAMOORTHY. N K, JAGANNATHAN. R & RAGUNATH. K P
Agro Climate Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
ABSTRACT
Agro-micro meteorological regions for the State of Tamil Nadu were delineated by using modern tools such as
remote sensing and geographic information system. The main input parameters used for micro zoning was length of
growing period, land capability classification, net primary productivity and elevation. These layers were overlaid using
Arc GIS 10.1 platform and agro micro meteorological regions were delineated. The land use / land cover was used as a
mask. Length of growing period zone was demarcated using meteorological data, land capability classification zones was
derived from soil map, net primary productivity and elevation zones were derived from Satellite data respectively.
This zoning approach led to 4, 4, 2 and 2 zones resulted for length of growing period, land capability classification, net
primary productivity and elevation. Though there were 64 combinations from the four parameters studied, eight
combination classes with L1 and E2 did not find a place leaving56 combination for the entire State of Tamil Nadu. In
order to exercise better agricultural management though transfer of technology, areas with lesser than 100 ha was

KEYWORDS: LGP, LCC, NPP, Elevation, Agro Micro Meteorological Regions, Tamil Nadu

Received: Aug 29, 2016; Accepted: Sep 21, 2016; Published: Sep 27, 2016; Paper Id.: IJEEFUSOCT20166

INTRODUCTION

Original Article

merged and finally 54 micro zones was developed for the State of Tamil Nadu.

The Indian sub-continent was bestowed with vast natural resources and enshrined with heterogeneous
land forms, varying climatic condition and receives less than 100 mm to more than 11,000 mm of rainfall owing to
its geographical position. Accordingly there are lot of heterogeneity in the agricultural ecosystems of the country
as a whole and the Peninsular Indias State of Tamil Nadu in particular.
The State Tamil Nadu is naturally divided between the flat eastern coast and the hilly regions in the north
and west with semi-arid climate. The mountainous and hilly areas, especially in the extreme western part of the
State, receive the higher precipitation, while the lower-lying southern and south-eastern regions receive the least
rainfall. Apart from this, the river delta that is seen in the State is rich in alluvial soil, and other parts of the State
have dominant soil types like clay, loam, sand, and red late rite. The total cultivated area is around 5.610 million
hectares and the forests cover is roughly 18 per cent of the State. Along the eastern side of the Western Ghats and
in the hills of the northern and central districts, the plant life is a mixture of evergreen and deciduous species.
The Planning Commission of India during Seventh Plan Period (1985-1990) divided the whole India into
15 Agro-climatic zones based on physiographic and climate. Subsequently the State Agricultural Universities were
entrusted with the task of dividing those agro-climatic zones into State-wise sub agro-climatic zones which made
India into 127 sub zones. The delineations were aimed at allocation of resources and for intensification of

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Archana U. S, Sathyamoorthy. N K, Jagannathan. R & Ragunath. K P

agricultural activities through region specific transfer of technologies. But the purpose was not achieved fully.
The success of zoning a particular region lies in adoption of new research tools available, particularly the vital
inputs from space technologies such as Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Remote sensing
technology has been of great use to planners in planning for efficient use of natural resources at national, state and district
levels (Steven, 1993).
The National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning was divided entire India into 20 agro-ecological
zones for preplanning purpose. But that was not enough for micro level agricultural planning. So in this context, in the
current study, delineation of agro-micro meteorological region for Tamil Nadu was done by using remote sensing and
geographic information system.

MATERIALS AND METHODS


Study Area
The present investigation was conducted at the Department of Agro Climate Research Centre, Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University, Coimbatore during the year 2014-2015. The study area was the Tamil Nadu State, with a
geographical area of 13 million hectares, lies between 8o0'8"-13o5'8"N latitude and between 76o2'5"-80o3'3"E longitude.
Inventory Collection
The observed daily weather data (rainfall and potential evapotranspiration) for different locations of the State was
collected for a period of 32 years (1980-2011) from different sources (Asian Precipitation Highly Resolved Observational
Data Integration Towards Evaluation of Water Resources (APHRODITE's Water Resources), Climate Research Unit
(CRU) and various meteorological stations).
The land use map and Land Capability Classification map were developed during 2009-2010 for Tamil Nadu
under Natural Resource Information System (NRIS) using visual interpretation of IRS 1C LISS III, PAN merged
(5.8 m spatial resolution images) which were collected from the Department of Remote Sensing and Geographical
Information System, TNAU and the agricultural area was delineated. Interpretative grouping of soil mapping units to show
the capability of soils to produce field crops, pastures, forest or other benefits on a sustained agricultural basis and it was
based on inherent soil characteristics such as depth, soil texture, drainage, gravels, calcareousness, pH, erosion, rainfall and
soil slope.
Satellite Data (MODIS)
Remote sensing data of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) annual NPP (MODIS17A3)
product with 1 km spatial resolution was used starting from January1, 2000 to December 31, 2010. MODIS reprojection
tool was used to mosaic MODIS images, resampled them to other coordinate systems, and the images were exported in the
HDF format.
Under agreement with NASA the USGS EROS data centre distributes and archives the Space Shuttle Radar
Topography Mission (SRTM) elevation data with 30 m resolution was used.
Length of Growing Period (LGP)
LGP was calculated using Jeev an and a Reddy (1983) method based on weekly rainfall and weekly PET. As the
Impact Factor (JCC): 3.7216

Naas Rating: 3.63

Delineation of Agro Micro Meteorological Areas for Tamil Nadu using


Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System

49

growing season was limited to 90-100 days in dryl ands, 14 weeks moving average was used. The number of consecutive
weeks in which the 14 weeks moving average of RF/PET ratio 0.75 was considered as LGP. The LGP was grouped based
on the classification suggested by Ramakrishna et al., (1996) viz., L1 (<10 weeks; short duration pulse), L2 (11-17 weeks;
mono cropping), L3 (18-25 weeks; inter cropping) and L4 (>26 weeks; double cropping).
Land Capability Classification (LCC)
LCC map derived from soil series data of NRIS were reclassified to form quality themes of land capability.
Grouping of LCC was based on the inherent soil characteristics, external land features and environmental features that
limit the use of land. The LCC was categorised viz., C1 (II; good), C2 (III; moderate), C3 (IV; poor), C4 (V; grazing cum
forestry).
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
NPP was classified based on the productivity of crops viz., P1 (<1 Kg C/m2/yr ; low productivity) and
P2 (>1.1 Kg C/m2/yr ; high productivity).
Elevation
The elevation of a location decided the weather that prevailed in the region and accordingly the crop suitability
got varied. The elevation of Tamil Nadu with reference to mean sea level was ranged from 0 to 2617m and it was
categorised as E1 (<750m) and E2 (>751m).
Delineation of agro micro meteorological areas
Agro-micro meteorological region was delineated by overlaying the four layers such as length of growing period,
land capability classification, net primary productivity and elevation with the mask layer i.e.landuse / land cover. Only
agricultural lands were considered for agro-micro meteorological region delineation. An area of less than one square
kilometre (100 ha) was considered to be non-effective for transfer of technology and were merged with the adjacent zone
for delineation of zoning.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS


Land Use / Land Cover Mask
Land use was used as mask and other four layers were overlaid over the mask. The land under agriculture
(68.10%) was more as compared to non-agriculture area (31.90%) with respect to the total area (130087706 ha).
Length of Growing Period Layer
The LGP outlines the period of the year when both moisture and temperature conditions were suitable for crop
production. In all the four classes, maximum per cent area under the weeks (11-17) with sufficient moisture for crop
growth was found in an area of 53.16 per cent indicating that predominant agriculture area in Tamil Nadu could be grown
with mono crop. However, the L1 category of 10 weeks wherein only a short duration pulse crop was possible occupied
only in 0.49 per cent of the total agriculture area of Tamil Nadu Figure 1.
Maximum number of weeks (L4) with sufficient moisture for raising crop was found in the areas nearby mountain
ranges. This was mainly due to the occurrence of high rainfall and low evapotranspiration and double cropping was
practised in this areas. The areas which had lowest number of weeks were more suitable for raising mono-crop short
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Archana U. S, Sathyamoorthy. N K, Jagannathan. R & Ragunath. K P

duration pluses. Most of the areas of the State under the category L2 found in centre and southern parts of the State and
these areas were more suitable for inter cropping. Followed by L2, the area under L3 was more which was seen in the
extreme north eastern part of the State and these areas were most suitable for mono cropping. Bio-climatic variation with
LGP ranging from 90 to 210 days was observed for semiarid to sub humid area (Gajbhiyeet al., 1983).
Land Capability Classification Layer
Using LCC ranges, the cultivable land was broadly classified into four categories viz., good, moderate, poor and
grazing cum forestry. In the present study, the area under moderate (46.66%) was more followed by poor (30.75%).
This showed that the agriculture areas in Tamil Nadu were moderately suitable for cultivation of crops (Figure 2).
The land capability classification varied from good to grazing cum forestry with major area fell under moderate
cultivable land. This C2 (moderate) category type of soil was found almost in all part of the State which indicated that the
cultivable land was suitable for mono cropping as well as for double cropping. All these four categories of LCC were
found in the entire part of the State but only showed variation in the area coverage. The class I of LCC as brought out by
very good cultivable land was not found in Tamil Nadu State indicating the existence of one or other constraints in the soil
ecosystem of Tamil Nadu.
Net Primary Productivity Layer
In total agriculture area the majority of productivity came under P1 category (55.22%) which means low carbon
production (<1 Kg C/m2/yr).
NPP estimates vary from South to North of the State, as the carbon storage by terrestrial ecosystem played an
important role in limiting the increasing rate of atmospheric CO2. In Tamil Nadu most of the area came under low
productivity P1, in which most of the areas were found in the centre of the State and some parts in the western and southern
sides of the State Figure 3. This was due to the higher temperature rate that prevailed during summer coupled with the
higher evapotranspiration rate. Higher values of NPP were observed more in the Northern and Western part of the State and
it might be due to prevalence the medium to moderate rainfall associated with the higher solar radiation. Similar ranges of
values for NPP estimation was observed in Eastern Ghats using multi spectral MODIS data as reported by Mariappan
(2010), Ramesh et al (2013).
Elevation Layer
Mean sea level elevation of the State of Tamil Nadu did vary from 0 to 2617 m where most of the areas were
covered under E1 (<750 m). The presence of Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats mountain ranges was the reason for higher
elevation. However it covered only 4.05 per cent. The Western, Southern and the North western parts were hilly and rich in
vegetation. The major crops cultivated under these areas were perennial plantation crops and cool season vegetables Figure
4.
Agro Micro Meteorological Areas Identification
The agro-micro meteorological area approach had 4, 4, 2, and 2 categories of length of growing period, land
capability classification, net primary productivity and elevation respectively. Based on the logical combination, the layers
were overlaid and the resultant layer was the agro-micro meteorological areas. The four parameters combination could
have resulted in 64 zones however, there are eight zones where in the combination of L1 and E2 occurred did not find a
Impact Factor (JCC): 3.7216

Naas Rating: 3.63

Delineation of Agro Micro Meteorological Areas for Tamil Nadu using


Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System

51

place. This might be due to higher LGP seen at higher elevation owing to the fact that the hilly regions generally did
receive higher rainfall. This resulted in 56 combination categories. In order to have a meaningful zonation, two zones
which has areas lesser than 100 ha were merged with their closest zone.
Finally 54 agro micro meteorological regions had been identified for the entire Tamil Nadu Figure 5. Nearly 50
per cent area was covered with zones which had LGP of 11 to 17 weeks. Similarly one third of the area was covered with
LGP of 18-25 weeks, which was found to be the second largest with reference to the area coverage. The zones viz.,
L2C2P1E1 (1473275 ha), L3C2P2E1 (1025138 ha) and L2C3P1E1 (948869 ha) ranked in order of first three places as favoured
by their LGP classes and area coverage.

CONCLUSIONS
The agro-micro meteorological area identified with 4, 4, 2 and 2 categories respectively for length of growing
period, land capability classification, net primary productivity and elevation respectively did bring 54 combinations for the
entire State of Tamil Nadu. Since the new classification yields disaggregated AEZs which greatly facilitate area-specific
land use planning and recommendations, land use planning policies, and allow research and extension services as well as
agro-technology transfer across similar zones.
REFERENCES
1.

Gajbhiye, K.S, and Mandal.C (1983).Agro-Ecological Zones, their Soil Resource and Cropping Systems Status of Farm
Mechanization In India, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur, K 30, 1-32.

2.

Mariappan, N. (2010). Net primary productivity estimation of eastern ghatsusing multispectral MODIS data Int. J. Geomat
Geosci, 1(3), 406-413

3.

Ramakrishna, Y.S., Venkateshwarlu, J and Rao.A.S (1996) Agro-climatic zones of India Ann. Arid Zone, 35(1), 1-8.

4.

Ramesh, J and Lekeshmanaswamy.(2013). Studies on the primary productivity of thrPykara Dam, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu,
India.Indian J. Natural Sci., 19(3), 976-997

5.

Reddy, S.J. (1983).Agro-climatic classification of the SAT 1.Method for the computation of classificatory variables.Agric
Meteorol, 30,185-200

6.

Steven, M.D. (1993). Satellite remote Sensing for agricultural management: Opportunities and logistic constraints.
Photogramm Remote Sensing, 48(4), 29-34

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Archana U. S, Sathyamoorthy. N K, Jagannathan. R & Ragunath. K P

APPENDICIES

Figure 1: Length of Growing Period Map


of Tamil Nadu

Figure 2: Land Capability Classification Map


of Tamil Nadu

Figure 3: Net Primary Productivity Map of Tamil Nadu

Figure 4: Elevation Map of Tamil Nadu


Impact Factor (JCC): 3.7216

Naas Rating: 3.63

Delineation of Agro Micro Meteorological Areas for Tamil Nadu using


Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System

53

Figure 5: Agro Micro Meteorological Areas of Tamil Nadu

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