Crop-weather relationship of finger millet varieties under varying environments at Keonjhar, Odisha.

This article explores the relationship between weather conditions and the cultivation of finger millet in Keonjhar, Odisha. Finger millet is a popular crop in India, especially among tribal communities and farmers in areas with poor soil and no irrigation. The study found that finger millet is resilient to various stresses, such as warming, water, and nutrition stress, making it suitable for climate change conditions. The article also presents the results of a field experiment that examined the impact of sowing dates and varieties on crop yield. The study found that the crop sown on June 20th had the highest grain and straw yield, likely due to receiving the most rainfall during its growth period. The correlation analysis revealed that seed yield was negatively correlated with rainfall at certain stages of growth, but positively correlated with temperature, humidity, evaporation, and wind speed at other stages. The study also analyzed the heat unit requirements for different sowing dates and cultivars, with early sowing and the Bhairabi variety performing best in terms of yield and heat unit accumulation in the North Central Plateau Zone of Odisha. [Extracted from the article]