AAU experts to study effect of total solar eclipse on kharif crops

AAU officials said the eclipse will start from Surat and through Vadodara and Anand lead to Bhopal,Indore,Varanasi,Patna,Assam and Meghalaya. In other states,there will be partial solar eclipse. Few experts from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,Pune will come to Surat to study the impact of the total solar eclipse on crops. Experts will study central Gujarat.

AAU vice-chancellor Prof M C Varshenya said: “As the moon completely blocks the sun during a total solar eclipse,the radiation of the sun has an effect on the earth’s atmosphere,its temperature,ozone lawyer as also crops and their pattern of growth. We have a ten-metre micro meteorological tower,which has sensors that are located at several places to study the wind pattern,wind direction as well as humidity.”

Prof Varshenya added: “Experts in the field of astro-meteorology have studied the impact of total solar eclipse,but it is for the first time that AAU will scientifically study the situation of crops pre,post and during the total solar eclipse. AAU will study the impact on the yield before and after the total solar eclipse.”

Prof Manoj Kumar Sinha from the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT),Ranchi,told Newsline: “There could be a huge impact on the crops due to the solar eclipse; the content of aerosol might increase due to the low atmospheric pressure; this time we will measure that too. Alike AAU,BIT will cover Bihar.”

BIT officials held a meeting with AAU officials in this regard today.

Vyas Pande,head of Meteorology Department,AAU said: “There will be several institutes across India studying the impact of the total solar eclipse. The entire activity will be coordinated by Kushmaji Rao,Principal Scientist,ISRO.”

Rao said from Bangalore: “We are coordinating for entire India and academicians are showing interest.”

Pande said: “The monsoon is expected to begin in June and the total solar eclipse will last for two hours,starting at 6.30 am on July 22. We are interested in learning the effect of the total solar eclipse at the lower atmospheric level. The AAU team will take readings of the wind,humidity and temperature on crops.”

He added: “We are preparing a list of different field crops that can be studied during this time. It will be interesting to see how crop pattern changes during a solar eclipse. Besides,the monsoon season will occur at the same time. We will fix some portable sensors at Vadodara also.”