DELINEATION OF PROSPECTIVE CROPPING ZONES FOR RICE AND MAIZE IN TAMIL NADU

A study was carried out to categorize the prospective zones for cultivation of Rice and Maize in Tamil Nadu at the Agro Climate Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The data on area, production and productivity of the study crops for 30 years (1981 to 2010) were collected from the Season and Crop Report, Government of Tamil Nadu. Two indices such as Relative Spread Index (RSI) and Relative Yield Index (RYI) were computed and the potential cropping districts for the test crops were identified. In Tamil Nadu, seven districts were found to be prospective regions for rice and four districts for maize as in these areas both the RYI and the RSI were more than 100 per cent. The decadal analysis indicated that the Virudhunagar district showed a potential shift from In- Efficient Cropping Zone (IECZ) to Yield Efficient Cropping Zone (YECZ) for rice and Tiruneveli and Tutucorin districts showed a potential shift from IECZ to Area Efficient Cropping Zone (AECZ) for maize