Double whammy for farmers as heat, rain deficit cast shadow on crops in Telangana | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: With temperatures running well above normal and rainfall remaining deficient in several districts, a weather paradox is emerging across Telangana just as the vanakalam season enters a critical phase. Nine districts are simultaneously battling hotter than usual conditions and weak monsoon rainfall, raising concerns over soil moisture, crop health and irrigation needs at a time when sowing has gathered momentum across the state.The combination of El Nino-induced higher temperatures and deficient rainfall in parts of Telangana is beginning to worry agricultural experts, who warn that crop stress could intensify if monsoon activity does not improve over the next two weeks.A total of 13 districts recorded average maximum temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius or above, matching or exceeding the state’s average maximum temperature. Of these, nine districts were also rainfall-deficient, creating conditions that could affect crop growth during a crucial phase of the agricultural season.The nine districts where above normal temperatures coincided with rainfall deficiency are Suryapet, Nalgonda, Khammam, Mahabubabad, Narayanpet, Jangaon, Jogulamba Gadwal, Bhadradri Kothagudem and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri.The remaining four districts, Hyderabad, Peddapalli, Warangal and Wanaparthy, also recorded average maximum temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius or more but were not rainfall deficient.Data shows the 13 districts recorded an average maximum temperature of 34.4 degrees Celsius, against a normal of 32.4 degrees Celsius and 31.8 degrees Celsius during the corresponding period last year. In effect, temperatures were 2 degrees Celsius above normal and 2.5 degrees Celsius higher than last year, underlining the intensity of the current warm spell.The weather pattern comes at a sensitive time for vanakalam agriculture. After rainfall improved in the second half of July, sowing picked up substantially across Telangana. However, crops are now at different growth stages and increasingly dependent on adequate moisture.While paddy transplantation and direct seeding are still under way in many areas, maize is largely in the vegetative stage, cotton is moving towards early square formation and soybean has entered the flowering stage.Agricultural experts said continued high temperatures, combined with below-normal rainfall, could accelerate moisture loss from both soil and standing crops in the nine deficient districts. If rainfall does not improve during the next fortnight, crop growth could be affected and irrigation demand could rise sharply, particularly in rain-fed areas where farmers depend heavily on monsoon support.The coming two weeks, they said, could prove crucial for sustaining crops that benefited from the improvement in sowing activity after July 15.However, Professor Aldas Janaiah, vice-chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, expressed optimism that an expected weather system later this month could improve the situation. He said a depression likely to form later in Aug could help bridge much of the state’s rainfall deficit.Despite the weather concerns, Telangana has made substantial progress in sowing during the ongoing season. As of Aug 12, sowing had covered 107.17 lakh acres, accounting for 81% of the normal seasonal area of 132.38 lakh acres.Cotton has already surpassed its normal seasonal coverage, with sowing completed in 47.72 lakh acres against the normal area of 47.41 lakh acres. Paddy sowing has reached 41.54 lakh acres, covering 63% of the normal area, while maize has been sown in 5.31 lakh acres, accounting for 86% of the normal seasonal extent.Pulses have covered 6.38 lakh acres, or 98% of the normal area, while soybean has been sown in 3.72 lakh acres, representing 89% of its normal coverage.Among individual districts, Narayanpet recorded the sharpest rise in temperatures compared with last year, with average maximum temperatures 4.8 degrees Celsius higher. Khammam followed with an increase of 4.4 degrees Celsius, Jogulamba Gadwal 4.3 degrees Celsius and Nalgonda 4.1 degrees Celsius.Peddapalli recorded the highest departure from normal temperatures at 2.9 degrees Celsius, followed by Suryapet at 2.8 degrees Celsius.With large tracts of cropland now under cultivation and many crops entering moisture-sensitive growth stages, the interplay between rainfall and temperatures over the next fortnight is likely to determine whether Telangana’s vanakalam season stays on track or faces fresh stress from an increasingly erratic monsoon.