Associations of meteorological variability with sesame yield in semi-arid Bundelkhand region of India.
Singh RN, Sah S, Rathod S, Das B, Singh Y
Climate Adaptation
If you grow sesame in your garden or edible landscape, knowing that this drought-tolerant crop thrives with warmth but struggles under heavy August downpours can help you time planting and choose microsite conditions that mimic what the plant evolved to prefer.
Scientists studied decades of weather records and sesame harvests across a dry region of central India to figure out what climate conditions help or hurt the crop. They found that warmer temperatures — especially in late summer — actually boosted sesame yields, while heavy or prolonged rains during August were the biggest problem. This means sesame is surprisingly well-suited to a warming world, as long as rainfall doesn't become erratic or excessive.
Key Findings
The Bundelkhand region has warmed by 0.9–2.2°C over the past 100 years, with the strongest warming in late and post-monsoon months.
Sesame yield correlated positively with temperature (r = 0.28–0.48) but negatively with rainfall variables (r = −0.26 to −0.47), with August rainfall showing the strongest adverse effect on yield.
Regression models explained 29–78% of yield variation, with monthly temperature and rainfall distribution indices (like consecutive wet days and heavy rain events) being stronger predictors than seasonal averages.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Sesame crops in India's semi-arid Bundelkhand region are experiencing a warming climate (up to 2.2°C per century) alongside declining monsoon rainfall — and surprisingly, moderate warming actually helps sesame yields while excess or poorly timed rain hurts them.
Abstract Preview
Understanding long-term changes in weather variables and their impact on crop productivity is essential for climate resilient agriculture in semi-arid regions of India. This study assessed the dist...
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