Authors : G.U. Chukwu , C. Oriaku , A.H. Omar , K.C. Emeasor and A.D. Asiegbu
Abstract: Daily rainfall data collected for thirty-two years (1972-2004) were used to develop a Hydrological Growth Season (HGS) for agricultural purposes in Umudike agro-belt. Umudike is an internationally accredited agricultural community in the southeastern part of Nigeria. To maintain or boost the tempo of food production and security within this agrarian zone, an HGS has been constructed using agro-meteorological data. The raw data of daily rainfall were processed into pentades which was thereafter used to obtain an ogive graph. Deductions from the graph show that certain crops like maize Zeamays, okra Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, egg-plant Solanum gilo etc can be planted up to three times in a year and not the ordinary traditional once per year practice. Also, some other crops such as cassava Manihot esculenta Crantz can be cultivated twice within the year. All these measures are geared towards achieving food security in our time which is one of the nation`s empowerment strategies.
G.U. Chukwu , C. Oriaku , A.H. Omar , K.C. Emeasor and A.D. Asiegbu , 2007. Hydrological Growth Season (HGS) for Umudike Agro-Belt of Southeastern Nigeria . Online Journal of Earth Sciences, 1: 93-97.