Table 1.
Climate, soil and other characteristics of four studied districts in Odisha (Das, 2012).
| Mayurbhanj | Bhadrak | Puri | Cuttack | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agro-climatic zone | North central plateau | North Eastern Coastal Plain Zone | East and southeastern coastal plain | East and southeastern coastal plain |
| Climate | Sub-tropical – hot and moist | Sub-tropical – hot and humid | Sub-tropical – hot and humid | Sub-tropical – hot and humid |
| Annual rainfall (mm) | 1648 | 1568 | 1450 | 1577 |
| Monsoon rainfall (mm) | 1361 | 1376 | 1087 | 1467 |
| Major cropping systems | Rice- fallow, Rice-pulses/oilseeds, Maize-fallow | Rice-pulses/oilseeds, Rice- fallow | Rice-pulses/oilseeds, Rice-Rice, Rice-fallow | Rice-pulses/oilseeds, Rice- fallow |
| Cropping intensity (%) | 121 | 138 | 207 | 153 |
| Kharif rice area (ha) | 339,000 | 165,000 | 119,000 | 128,000 |
| Highland (%) | 26 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Medium Land (%) | 37 | 38 | 25 | 40 |
| Lowland (%) | 37 | 60 | 71 | 52 |
| Irrigated rice area in kharif season (%) | 28 | 62 | 72 | 68 |
| Major risk and uncertainties | Intermittent drought, lack of life saving irrigation | Flood, cyclone, saline soil, submergence in lowland rice | Flood, cyclone and submergence in lowland rice | Flood, cyclone and submergence in lowland rice |
| Soil type | Laterite and red soil | Red and laterite, deltaic alluvium, coastal saline | Coastal saline, sandy, lateritic, alluvial, black and red | Coastal saline, sandy, lateritic, alluvial, black and red |
| Soil texture | Sandy loam | Loam and clay loam | Coastal alluvial saline loamy sand to clay loam | Coastal alluvial saline |