The study investigates the trends in temperature in the Upper and Lower Niger Basin Development Authority Areas using standardized Anomaly Index, Gaussian Low Pass and Spearman's correlation coefficient. From the data collected and analyzed, the mean annual temperature and mean annual maximum temperature demonstrated pronounced temporal increasing trend in the period 1951-2010 while the mean annual minimum temperature showed no trend. The rate of increase in mean annual temperature, mean annual maximum and minimum temperatures was 0.45˚C, 0.40˚C and 0.20˚C respectively. The mean annual maximum temperature warmed faster than the mean annual minimum leading to increase in diurnal range of temperature. The annual temperature anomaly in the study area tracks the observed anomalies for the Northern Hemisphere in the 20th century. The decadal temperature increase is very small particularly as from 1980.

Using 70 years of daily rainfall records in eight stations, an analysis of variability and trends of daily heavy rainfall events over Niger River Basin Development Authority Area was carried out by using Standardized Anomaly Index and Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient. Significant temporal variability on interannual and decadal time-scales was observed in the frequency of heavy rainfall events and annual heavy rainfall amount. Both the annual heavy rainfall amount and frequency of heavy rainfall events demonstrated no pronounced temporal decreasing or increasing trend. However, more recent data records from 1981 onwards revealed an increasing trend. Thus, evidence of a temporal change is apparent in heavy rainfall events in the last three decades in sympathy with global warming.

This study attempts simple linear and multiple regression analyses between the final grain yield of sorghum and the elements of climate for Kabba in the wet sub-humid climate of Nigeria during the different phenological periods of the crop's growth.It was found that fluctuations in air temperature and rainfall during the first 94 days of the sowing of the crop combine to reduce the final grain yield of sorghum at the station while rainfall supply during the pre-sowing period and temperature during the grain filling period tend to increase the final grain yield of the crop. The combined effect of the 4 climatic elements was found to account for 79.8 per cent of the variability in sorghum yield at the station. The implications of the results obtained for sorghum farming at the station are also discussed.

This study attempts regression/correlation analysis between maize yield and weather variables based on data analysed for the entire growing season and the different physiological stages of the crop's growth for Kabba in the wet sub-humid climate of Nigeria. The implications of the relationships obtained are examined for maize growth at the station.