Abstract

A study was carried out in Kovilpatti Block of Tirunelveli District to study the varia- tions in crop yields and rainfall and the effect of rainfall on crop yield. Daily rainfall data for a period of 75 years from the records of the Cotton and Millets Experimental Sration were used for studying the distribution pattern of rainfall and time series data on yield of major crops were gathered from the issues of Season and Crop report. for studying the variation in crop yields. It was found that the probability of failure was the highest for the month of October. Bajra had exhibited the highest variation in yield followed by cotton and sorghum, A functional analysis to identify the relative contribution of rainfall and percentage of irrigated and to gross cropped area of Bajra and time trend on the yield of crop revealed that the rainfall and percentage of irrigated area to gross cropped area of Bajra significantly contri- buted to the yield of Bajra.

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