Meaning and elements/factors of climate

Climate is defined as the average weather condition of a place, measured over a long period of time (over 35 years)

Factors of climate

Factors or elements of climate include:

1. Rainfall
2. Temperature
3. Wind
4. Relative Humidity
5. Pressure
6. Light
7. Radiant energy .

Importance of climate in agriculture

1. Climate affects the duration of a cropping season.
2. It determines the yield of crops.
3. Climate limits the types of crop to be grown in an area.
4. It also affects vegetation distribution in an area.
5. It affects the incidence of pests.
6. It affects the incidence of diseases.
7. Climate determines the yield or productivity of animals.
8. Climate limits the type of livestock to be reared in an area.
9. It also affects the type of soil formation in an area.

How climate determines the type of crops and animals found in Nigeria

Essential factors or climate which determine the types of crops and animals found in Nigeria are rainfall and temperature.

Rainfall

1. Rainfall is defined as the amount and distribution of water precipitated within a given time, in a given area.
2. It is brought about the South-west trade winds which blow from the Atlantic Ocean.
3. As the wind blues from the ocean to inland, it drops the water it is carrying.
4. As a result of this, the coastal areas receive more rainfall per annum than the rest of the region.
5. As the moisture laden we in the moves father inland, the amount of rainfall decreases.
6. By the time this wind gets to the northern part of the country there is little or no moisture left in it.
7. in the northern areas, let’s rainfall is a experienced per year.
8. In the coastal areas, the raining season ranges from 8 months to all the-year-round while in the North, the rainy season last for only three to four months.
9. This moisture regime affects crops and livestock distribution.
10. In the coastal areas, which are the more humid southern parts, crops which adapt to heavy rainfall are predominant, e.g. rice, maize, fruit, cocoa, forest trees, yam and banana.
11. Much animal rearing does not take place in heaven rainfall areas because of high humidity and tsetse fly infestation.
12. Consequently, only animals such as dwarf sheep, goats, poultry, muturu and N’dama cattle which are resistant to trypanosomasis can be reared.
13. In the northern parts, with little rainfall, crops which are drought-resistant like guinea corn, millet, cowpea, groundnut, cotton and beniseed are grown.
14. These crops normally complete their life cycles within three or four months of rainfall. This area is the animal rearing zone because of few or no tse fly.
15. Animals like donkeys,cattle,sheep, goats, camels and horses are reared hair successfully because of sufficient grassland for grazing them.

Temperature

1. Temperature is defined as the measure of the heat energy with a body contains or the degree of hotness and coldness of a place at a point in time.
2. There is variance of temperature from the coastal areas today extreme North.
3. During the dry season, temperature is extremely high in the North but not as high in the coastal areas.
4. Through many farming activities do not take place in the dry season, the crops found in the North are high temperature-loving plants, like tobacco.
5. The average minimum temperature varies from 22 °C in the coastal areas e.g. Calabar, during the coldest month of the year to about 13°C in the northern areas e.g. Nguru , during the coldest harmattan season.
6. Owing to this coldness, wheat can be successful grown in the North under irrigation, while it cannot be grown in the coastal areas.
7. Animals found in the northern areas are as well adapted to we stand the severe heat of the sun.

Environmental factors affecting agricultural production

Environmental factors affecting agricultural production are grouped into three major classes. These are:

1. Climatic factors
2. Biotic factors
3. Edaphic factors.

Climate factors affecting agricultural production

Rainfall

It is defined has the release of excess condensed water vapor in the atmosphere into the earth.

1. It determines the distribution of crops and animals.
2. It is necessary for seed germination.
3. Excessive rainfall leeds to leaching of nutrients and causes soil erosion.
4. It helps to dissolve nutrients in the soil, thereby making the nutrients available to crops.
5. It determines the type of vegetation of an area.
6. It determines the seasons in Nigeria, i.e. rainy and dry seasons.
7. It determines the vegetation types in Nigeria, Savannah in the North and forest in the south.
8. The seasons also determines when crops would be planted.
9. The seasons also determine the types of crops to be grown.
10. Vegetation types in turn mean the types of livestock that can be raised in the different ecological zones.
11. Insufficient rainfall causes crop failure and poor yield.

Ways in which pirates for affects agricultural production

1. High rainfall prolongs the cropping season.
2. It increases the problem of plant diseases.
3. It determines the type of crop to be grown.
4. It increases the incidence of erosion or flooding.
5. It encourages thick forestation, thus increasing the incidence of pests, e.g. tsetse flies infestation.
6. It encourages the growth of disease causing organism (pathogens).
7. It increases leaching of plant nutrients or soil acidity.
8. It causes water logging in clay soil.
9. It determines the types of crops or livestock grown or reared, i.e.v distribution of crops and animals.
10. It encourages faster rapid growth of weeds.

Drought

This is defined as lack of or insufficient rainfall in an area.

Effects of drought on plant growth and development

1. Delay in flowering/reduction in flowers/flower abortion.
2. Poor crop establishment.
3. It leads to a reduction in leaf area.
4. There is a reduction in the cell size and inter cellular volume.
5. Several physiological processes may decrease due to the dehydration of protoplasm.
6. Water stress produces important changes in carbohydrates an nitrogen metabolism of plants.
7. There is a decrease in the production of green matter.
8. There is a reduction of photosynthesis.
9. It impairs desired quality, that is, appearance, fibre content, firmness, etc.
10. Wilting.
11. There is reduction in yield.
12. Possible death of plants/crop failure.
13. Lower resistance/prone to diseases.
14. Difficulty in pegging, especially in groundnut.

Temperature

This is defined as the degree of hotness call coldness of a place.

1. Temperature is necessary for germination of seeds.
2. It also affects the distribution of crops and animals.
3. Too hot or too cold temperature does not favor plants and animal growth.
4. Unfavorable temperature may be results in seed dormancy.
5. High temperature affects evapotranspiration and reduces the performance of livestock.
6. It affects the wilting of field crops, ripening and maturity of crops.
7. Temperature affects microbial activities in relation to mineralisation of organic matters.
8. High temperature leads to lose of soil nutrients through volatilisation.
9. High temperature may be harmful by cousin premature dropping of fruits and sudden death to livestock, e.g. heat-stress in poultry.
10. High temperature reduces the performance of livestock.

Wind

This is defined as air in motion.

1. High wind velocity may cause wind erosion.
2. It aids seed and fruit dispersal.
3. It can aid pollination and spread of diseases.
4. It helps in the distribution off rainfall and changes in season, e.g. rainy and dry seasons.
5. High wind velocity causes damage to crops, e.g. lodging.
6. It determines seasons in Nigeria. For example, South West trade winds bring rain while North East trade winds brings the harmattan or dry season.
7. Winds affects evapotranspiration.
8. Winds can cause serious damage to crops in the form of lodging, e.g. wind storm.

Sunlight/Sunshine

This is the amount of heat and the period the suns rays are received at a place.

1. Sunlight is necessary for photosynthesis.
2. It affects evapotranspiration.
3. It affects the productivity of crops duty length of day, i.e. Photoperiodism. In other words, light divides plants into three photo periods.

Long day plants

These plants require long daylight of between 13 and 15 hours of sunlight, e.g. millet and sorghum (guinea corn).

Short day plants

These plants require a shorter day light period of between 8 and 10 hours of sunlight, e.g. cocoa, kola and oil palm.

Day-neutral plants

These plants require an equal period of day and night, that is, about 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness, e.g. tomato. Light affects the rising and roosting of animals, it affects the rate of production in poultry and a determines the productivity of cultivated crops.

Relative Humidity

This is defined as the amount of moisture in the atmosphere.

1. It results to the formation of rain.
2. It affects the performance of crops and animals.
3. High humidity in poultry houses causes moldiness of feed and litters.
4. Low humidity causes aridity or dryness.
5. It determines the type of crops grown in an area.
6. Low humidity leads to heat stress in animals, e.g cattle, poultry and pig.
7. It determines the type of crops grow in an area, e.g. wheat in the North during harmattan.
8. It affects the growth rate of crops. For instance, cocoa we’re not grow well under low relative humidity.
9. High relative humidity affects food intake and productivity of farm animals.
10. Relative humidity determines the type of pests prevalent in an area.
11. High relative humidity favours the growth of disease pathogens.

Solar radiation

This is the amount of heat or sun’s ray radiated to the atmosphere.

1. High intensity of radiation causes heat stress in animals, and this reduces their growth, production and reproduction.
2. It increases the cost of production because shade has to be provided to project animals and some crops from direct rays of the sun.
3. Solar radiation assists photosynthesis in crops.
4. Solar radiation assists in drying of crops.
5. Solar radiation is a source of farm power.