Agro-Climatic Classification of Sorghum Growing Areas of India

The sorghum growing areas of India have been classified into sorghum humid (SH), sorgum subhumid (SS), sorghum semiarid (SSA) and sorghum arid (SA) using sorghum growth index value (SGI) defined as multiplication product of water satisfaction index (WI), solar radiation index (RI) and temperature index (TI). The actual yield values of major benchmark series occurring in sorghum growing areas have been correlated with SGI, SGI based climatic class has been formulated under Indian condition and isolines map of SOl has been prepared. The result suggested that SH area, the most suitable environment climatically, for sorghum growth, occupies 40.5 per cent area while SS area, climatically moderately suitable occupies 52.3 per cent area, the SSA and SA are climatically marginally suitable covers 7.2 per cent area, occurring in eastern Wainganga basin of Maharashtra state. Based on soil depth and slope, the ovemll sorghum suitable areas have been demarcated which indicate that the overall 52.1 per cent area are suitable for good sorghum growth, they lie in the plains/valleys of plateaus supporting Vertisols and associated soils of south Deccan plateau falling mostly below 15° N latitude, while 19.5 per cent falls under moderate category. The marginally suitable to unsuitable area occupies 28.4 per cent of total sorghum growing area which can be diverted to other dry land crops for increasing productivity under minfed farming condition.