ACTIVITIES OF DEPARTMENT FOR AGROMETEOROLOGY

The goal of operative tasks and applied research carried out in the Department for Agrometeorology is to contribute to the efficiency of agricultural production in Serbia and its sustainable development. Various products of operative activities, like agrometeorological analyses, forecasts and warnings are used in setting the dates for sowing and harvesting, assessment of yield, planning of measures of economic policy and other modes of short-term and long-term planning of activities in agriculture. Historical agrometeorological data and results of agroclimatic and other applied research as well as assessment of climate change on the territory of Serbia represent a background for rational use of agricultural soil and maintaining of its quality, the choice of species and sorts of agricultural crops, adjusting of the production to the conditions of changed climate and other aspects of long-term planning in agriculture. Work products of the Department are disseminated through media to users in the agricultural field: from direct producers to expert and scientific institutions and to competent authorities of government institutions.

 

Programme of operative jobs and tasks covers:

• processing and analysis of agrometeorological data and of agrometeorological yearbooks: phenological, soil temperature, transpiration and evapotranspiration (lysimeters);

• permanent monitoring and analysing of actual meteorological conditions and making of: seven-day, decade  and monthly agrometeorological bulletins and annual analyses of the influence of meteorological factors on growth, development and yield of agricultural crops, and, when necessary,  also preparation of urgent agrometeorological information, analyses and warnings.

• tasks as per requests of various agricultural users.

 

Within applied agrometeorological research, the focus is on:

 

• studying of agroclimatic potential on the territory of Serbia, monitoring of their changes and assessment of future changes as consequences of climate fluctuations and climate changes in the region;

• studying of agrometeorological weather-crop model and weather-plant model with the aim of their introduction to operative practice;
• studying of climate extremes and meteorological phenomena causing greatest damages in agriculture and their consequences (drought, extremely high and low air temperatures, storms with hail).    

 

Some of the applied research in progress that can be pointed out: defining of criteria for identifying natural catastrophies caused by drought and frost and classification of the territory of Serbia as per the degree of their occurrence; agroclimatic classification and agroclimatic zoning of the territory of Serbia for certain agricultural crops; operative trial work of agrometeorological CROPSYST model. Special attention is paid to research and monitoring of drought using considerable number of moisture indices, that is, drought indices: Standardized precipitation index for periods of 1 to 24 months which is calculated daily for operative needs; storage of productive soil moisture defined by the calculation of water balance; Palmer`s Z index and Palmer`s drought index whose values are updated as per decades, etc. Also, in accordance with the UN Convention on Combating Desertification and Mitigation of Drought Effects, Climate Moisture Index (CMI) and Soil Moisture Index (SMI) are used. In connection with supporting activities for the implementation of this Convention, increased role of RHMS is planned within protection system against forest and other open-air fires on the territory of Serbia.  

 

Planned development activities within agrometeorological activities are the following:

 

• upgrading of agrometeorological observation: participation in meteorological observation system of automated meteorological stations with measurement program that would also cover the most significant agrometeorological parameters;
• ntroduction of GIS technology in processing and analysing procedures of agrometeorological data;
• pgrading of the content and form of regular agrometeorological bulletins based on the expansion  of operative data set, improving the method of their processing, analyses and presentation;
• carrying out of training and upgrading of personnel in relation to the application of remote satellite observation data, by applying agrometeorological models as well as by using the products of regional climate models in assessing the influence of expected climate changes on agriculture and preparation of appropriate adjustment strategy.         

 

Documents for downloading:

  Program of Agrometeorology – Information flow diagram