Arid Land Agriculture is growing crop and horticulture plant in the arid area. Arid area has some characteristics, they are low precipitation (<250 - 300) mm/year, aridity index (Ratio of precipitation and evapotranspiration less than 0.2), no various vegetation (only shrubs, grass and small plant on scattered area), high temperature (average temperature on summer is +- 49 celcius degree), soil structure is sandy soil and high saltification which is caused by high evaporation and infiltration.
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| Preparing Drip Irrigation Line as The Characteristic of Arid Land Agriculture |
Arid Land is caused as results from the presence of dry, descending air. Therefore, aridity is found mostly in places where anticyclonic conditions are persistent, as is the case in the regions lying under the anticyclones of the subtropics. It usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate counter clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth.
There are three kinds of Arid Zone Climate :
- Mediterranean climate, the rainy season is during autumn and winter. Summers are hot with no rains; winter temperatures are mild.
- Tropical climate, rainfall occurs during the summer. The greater the distance from the Equator, the shorter the rainy season. Winters are long and dry.
- Continental climate, the rainfall is distributed evenly throughout the year, although there is a tendency toward greater summer precipitation
There are some problems for growing plants in arid land, they are:
- Water is the limiting factor of production.
- Characterized by variable rainfall, short growing season that restrict number and kinds of crops grown.
- The salt primarily responsible for dryland salinity is sodium chloride (common salt).
- Vegetation removes water from the soil by evapotranspiration, but leaves the salt in the soil.
The solutions of arid land problems for growing plant are :
- Seeking alternative sources of water
- Promoting public-private sector partnership
- Using efficient irrigation system for crop
- Integrating water resources management
- Rainfed agricultural imrpovement
To discuss more about how to grow agricultural plant in the arid land, you can contact admin. Critics, advices and the result of discussions will be appeared on this blog for developing this blog to be better. We are be here to solve the agricultural problem, especially practices in arid land.
Refferences :
- Text, Ch. 15, desertification in Ch. 16, pp. 333-334.
- Hammond, A.L. 1990. World resources, 1990-91. Oxford University Press, New York. Ch. 1.
- Tivy, 1992. Chs. 12,13.
