Crop weather calendars (CWC) serve as tools for taking crop management decisions. However, CWCs are not dynamic, as they were prepared by assuming normal sowing dates and fixed occurrence as well as duration of phenological stages of rainfed crops. Sowing dates fluctuate due to variability in monsoon onset and phenology varies according to crop duration and stresses encountered. Realizing the disadvantages of CWC for issuing accurate agromet advisories, a protocol of dynamic crop weather calendar (DCWC) was developed by All India Coordinated Research Project on Agrometeorology (AICRPAM). The DCWC intends to automatize agromet advisories using prevailing and forecasted weather. Different modules of DCWC, namely, Sowing & irrigation schedules, crop contingency plans, phenophase-wise crop advisory, and advisory for harvest were prepared using long-term data of ten crops at nine centers of AICRPAM in eight states in India. Modules for predicting sowing dates and phenology were validated for principal crops and varieties at selected locations. The predicted sowing dates of 10 crops pooled over nine centers showed close relationships with observed values (r 2 of .93). Predicted phenology showed better agreement with observed in all crops except cotton (Gossypium L.; at Parbhani) and pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] (at Bangalore). Predicted crop phenology using forecasted and realized weather by DCWC are close to each other, but number of irrigations differed, and it failed for accurate prediction in groundnut at Anantapur in drought year (2014). The DCWCs require further validation for making it operational to issue agromet advisories in all 732 districts of India.

An experiment was conducted at Research farm, Zonal Agriculture Research Station, Solapur for five years (2013-14 to 2017-18) in rabi on sorghum entitled as "Studies on Sowing Environment for Sustainable Production in Rabi Sorghum (Sorghum bicolour L.) Under Climate Change Situation in Scarcity Zone of Maharashtra." to find out most optimum meteorological week for sowing sorghum in rabi season, to study the relationship between meteorological parameters and yield by using four different sowing windows. The results were obtained from the experiment, it was found that rabi sorghum sown at MW 40 (01-07 Oct) produced maximum pooled grain yield (1204.2 kg ha -1 ), fodder (2477.1 kg ha -1 ) and total monetary returns (Rs.35749 ha -1 ). Among the varieties, M-35-1 was produced significantly higher grain yield (1056.8 kg ha -1 ), fodder yield (2283.6 kg ha -1 ) and total monetary returns (Rs.31852 ha -1 ) over the other variety. The meteorological studies showed that the mean CUM and MUE recorded by sorghum crop was 211 mm and 4.5 kg ha -1 mm. The highest CUM was recorded by S1 sown crop (233 mm) however the MUE was recorded by S3 sown crop (5.8 kg ha -1 mm). This indicated that S3 sown crop (Chitra Nakshtras) utilized moisture more efficiently than other dates of sowing. Among the variety M-35-1 recorded maximum mean CUM (220 mm) and MUE (4.8 ha -1 mm) than other varieties. The number of days required to attain physiological maturity and growing degree days were higher in S3 sown crop. Among the varieties it is higher in M35-1 than Mauli and Yashoda. In case of RUE initially values were low, it increases up to 84 DAS (i.e. up to 50 percent flowering to soft dough stage) further it decreases in all most all the sowing dates.

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