TNAU to study the impact of future climate changes
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University would soon undertake a study to assess the impact of future climate changes on rice productivity.Three parameters--temperature, rainfall and carbondioxide would be employed for the study, based on which a weather-base crop insurance model would also be developed by TNAU, its Vice Chancellor Dr C Ramasamy said.Presenting future research strategies at a two-day annual research meet on 'projects not covered under crops,' which concluded yesterday, Ramasamy said the climate impact studies should be assigned top priority by the scientists, by way of multi-disciplinary research.Another priority area was to take up studies for altering the sex ratio in Jatropha (biofuel crop) through plant hormones.As there was an imbalance in the production of male and female flowers by the plant, this problem needed to be addressed, which would result in increased seed set, he said.A study on effluents was another important area of research and TNAU would undertake effluent studies on groundwater quality in Noyyal (river) basin, he said.In a recent study, absence of nitrate pollution was observed in the cultivated fields in Coimbatore district, Ramasamy said.Aout 150 TNAU scientists invovled in various research projects participated in the meet to assess the status of the research and to finalise an action plan for the coming year.
