Monday, April 25, 2011
RT @sushmaswarajbjp: BJP is for ban on Endosulfan. This was part of our manifesto in Kerala. .. What's Endosulfan ??.. http://ow.ly/4Gkrx
Heavy showers will continue over Central, S-E Tamilnadu coast, Gulf Mannar, W,S-W coastal Srilanka for another 3 days.. http://ow.ly/i/aLp9
UAC along Central Tamilnadu coast persists and will continue there for another 3 days... more showers expected .. http://ow.ly/i/aLoQ
As La Nina Tapers off, How will the Monsoons behave?
The IMD finally released their monsoon forecast, after dithering for some time. Speaking to CNBC-TV18's Karan Thapar, Ajit Tyagi, Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), said this year the forecast in quantitative terms is of 98%, which falls in the normal category.
"We are confident within the model areas of plus/minus 5%. In extreme cases to be below normal category, which is between 90 and 96%—to be preciously the 93%, if we minus 5% from the 98%," he said raising hopes of higher farm output that could help the government tame high food prices."
As per the latest data from the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia, the La Niña, which brought above normal rainfall to India last year, has run its course with the central Pacific returning to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions as reflected by the Nino 3.4 Index being 0.4 C deg. Since January this year, due to the La Niña effect, daytime maxima have been too low for ‘monsoon comfort’ since sustained heating of the northwest region is crucial to set up the keenly watched ‘heat low’ to build. The heat low builds due to sustained heating of northwest India, adjoining Pakistan and the Arabia desert.
It is these conditions what posed a dilemma for IMD in their forecast of the monsoon and they dithered finalizing it until it became clear that we have returned to ENSO neutral conditions by mid-April, which can reduce rainfall. in the country. We can now hope that daytime maxima returns to normal fully in May to establish the south-westerly monsoon wind regime before heavy monsoon rains start over western India. Unlike other low-pressure areas, the ‘heat low’ is topped up by clear, cloud-free skies due to special reasons associated with the geography.
southern parts of Western Ghats is the origin for ‘matti' bananas
The Western Ghats is home to many endangered species of flora. Continuous research in Megamalai and forest surrounding Mangaladevi Kannagi Temple in Theni district has proved that southern parts of Western Ghats is the origin for ‘matti' bananas ( Musa Accuminata), a variety predominantly grown only in Kanyakumari district in the State.
Researchers believe that this cultivable variety could have been evolved from continuous domestication of the ‘wild matti' present in the southern Western Ghats, said V. Ganesan, District Forest Officer.
Hill banana is a popular fruit in the country, known for its nutritional value. The origin of this species had been traced to the Indo-Malayan belt. Cultivatable banana evolved from two wild species — ‘ Musa acuminata' and ‘ Musa Balbisiana.' Though various varieties such as ‘Poovan,' ‘Rasthali,' red banana, Hill banana, Nendran, Monthan, dwarf Cavendish, Ney poovan and ‘matti' are famous in various part of the State, knowledge about wild species was very limited, Mr. Ganesan said.
A related genus of ‘kalvazhai' ( Ensete Superbum), known to occur on Western Ghats, was found in Mangaladevi Kannagi Temple forest area recently.
Plant exploration and expeditions conducted by the forest officer in the rainforests abutting private estates in Megamalai, one of the biodiversity hotspots in Western Ghats, resulted in discovery of the wild banana, popularly known as ‘Channa vazhai.' After in-depth study of morphological characters of leaves, pseudo stem, flowers and fruits, the variety resembled to that of cultivated ones.
Similar study conducted on various parts of Western Ghats between Anamalai and Kanyakumari in the past decade confirmed the origin of ‘Matti' variety of the wild banana, Mr. Ganesan said.
Taken from www.hindu.com
First heat wave of April hits Gujarat ... http://ow.ly/4Gcax >>> maximum temperature 43.5 C was recorded at Deesa ( Gujarat) on 24-Apr
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