@KERALA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AGRICULTURAL METEOROLOGY
KERALA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
MSc in AGRICULTURAL METEOROLOGY
Numerical weather prediction, crop weather modelling
Scopus Publications
LINITHA NAIR and SMITHA BALAN
India Meteorological Department
Unprecedented severe floods, which affected Kerala during 2018 and 2019 submerged Kuttanad almost completely and the effects of these severe floods to following rice crop were studied. In these severe floods, the following rice crop puncha reflected a marked increase in yield mainly due to increase in soil fertility and less incidence of pests and diseases. In view of total rice production in the kuttanad region, severe floods have even a positive effect on rice production as the ground water table rose to facilitate water to the rabi crop. It was observed that there has been a notable variation in minimum temperature and relative humidity. All these factors contributed significantly to increase in rice yield. Floods are not always disastrous and can sometimes be advantageous as indicated by the post flood rice yields in kuttanad