Drought and Heat Stress in Agriculture

This edited book provides critical insights into changing climate's impact on agriculture and innovative strategies for building resilience.

The agricultural sector is highly dependent on climatic conditions, is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of drought and heat stress. It has been notices that crop yields in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are reduced by 15–35% when temperatures rise by 3-4 °C. The book explores the impacts of climate change on agriculture and how farmers can adapt their practices to overcome the dual threat of drought and heat stress on cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, and other allied sectors. One of the key themes of the book is the importance of smart water management in building agricultural resilience to drought and heat stress. By adeptly managing water resources and nurturing soil health through practices like cover cropping and reduced tillage, farmers bolster their resilience. Additionally, livestock management strategies are explored to combat reduced productivity and health issues due to heat stress. Harnessing the power of AI-assisted solutions, the book showcases how cutting-edge technology aids data-driven decisions on crop management and irrigation.

This book is a vital resource for farmers, researchers, policymakers, and those concerned about our food systems' future. It emphasizes the urgent need for climate-smart agricultural policies and technologies, offering prospects for sustainable practices and resilient food production.

Dr. Rachana Dubey, Scientist (Environmental Science) at ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, specializes in managing heat and drought stress in cereals, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas (GHG) quantification. She holds a master’s and PhD from IARI, focusing on GHG mitigation and terminal heat stress in wheat. Her research has quantified GHG emissions from rice-based systems in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, earning her the DST-SERB Young Scientist Award for optimizing soil organic carbon stocks. A recipient of the DST Inspire Fellowship and multiple young scientist awards, Dr. Dubey has published 40 research papers, 10 book chapters, two books and 03 technical manuals.

Dr. Kumari Shubha, Scientist at ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, specializes in vegetable breeding, focusing on abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. A gold medalist, she earned her M.Sc. from GBPUA&T, Pantnagar, and Ph.D. from ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, as a DST Inspire Fellow. Her research focuses on developing climate-resilient varieties of dolichos bean and yardlong bean. During her tenure at ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi, she contributed to conserving stress-tolerant vegetable crop accessions. She has authored over 20 research papers and reviews and co-edited two books.

Prof. Amitava Rakshit is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Previously, he served in the Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal in administrative and extension roles. He has received prestigious accolades, including the TWAS Nxt Fellowship (Italy), BiovisionNxt Fellowship (France), and Darwin Now Bursary (British Council, UK). He was also honored with the Young Achiever Award and Best Teacher’s Award at UG and PG levels by BHU-ICAR, the Uttar Pradesh Academy of Agricultural Sciences (state level), and the All-India Agricultural Students Association (national level). His academic contributions include 120 research papers, 55 book chapters, 28 popular articles, three manuals, and 32 authored books with internationally reputed publishers.

Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, Principal Scientist & Head, Division of Crop Research at ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, specializes in farming systems, conservation agriculture, maize agronomy, weed control, GHG emissions, and water management. He holds a Ph.D. in Agronomy from Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University. He has published 62 research papers, led 14 projects as Principal Investigator, and co-led 18 others. A recipient of multiple national awards, he has developed climate-smart farming system models and innovative maize and rice cultivation technologies. Dr. Kumar is an editor for national journals and serves as an expert advisor to various government initiatives.

Dr. Anup Das, Director of ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, is a renowned agricultural scientist specializing in climate-resilient farming. His research has led to no-till production practices for pulses and oilseeds, organic farming packages for 33 crops, Modified System of Rice Intensification, and Integrated Organic Farming Systems for safe food production. He has contributed to the release of four crop varieties and developed watershed-based land use and IFS models. With 220 research articles, 74 books, 75 book chapters, and an h-index of 40, his work is widely recognized. Dr. Das has received prestigious national awards, including the ICAR-Lal Bahadur Shastri Award and Swami Sahajanand Saraswati Award, and is a Fellow of multiple agricultural academies. He has also held key editorial and leadership roles in scientific societies and journals.