HOT ARID ZONE

WESTERN
DRY REGION OF INDIA
PARVATHI.M & S.VIDYALAKSHMI | SEM 1 ,M.ARCH LANDSCAPE

WESTERN DRY REGION

NAME OF AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE : Western Dry region [14]
STATES UNDER THIS ZONE : Rajasthan

The western dry region of Rajasthan constitute nine districts

Barmer
Bikaner
Churu
Jaisalmer
Jalor
Jhunjhunun
Jodhpur
Nagaur
Sikar
Source : Maps of India

CHARACTERISTICS OF WESTERN DRY REGION

1) TYPOLOGY :
Arid conditions with hot climate; Fragile eco-system.
2) CLIMATE :
Sparse and highly variable precipitation and high evaporation,
low
humidity.
Drought is characteristic of deserts due to lack of moisture.
The average temperature varies from about 45C in MayJune
to less than 2C in DecemberJanuary.
High wind velocity, scorching heat and sand storms are
common features during summer months.

CHARACTERISTICS OF WESTERN DRY REGION..contd

3) RAINFALL

Rains are scanty and erratic

Rate of evaporation is high, there are no perennial rivers
Ground water table is very deep and is often brackish.
There is a wide variation in the mean annual rainfall over
Rajasthan as the extreme western parts of Jaisalmer district
receive rainfall less than 100mm
About 85% of the rainfall is received during the period June to
September.
Jaisalmer and Jodhpur have the highest average wind velocity.
Evaporation in the region greatly exceeds the total annual
precipitation.
The variation in the annual rainfall is very high and in drought
years ,it is not sufficient to grow even crops like Bajra without
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some irrigation

PHYSIOGRAPHY OF WESTERN DRY REGION - RAJASTHAN

1. Western Sandy Plains
(a) Sandy Arid Plains
(i) Marusthali
(ii) Dune free Tract
(b) Semi-Arid Transitional Plains
(Rajasthan Bagar)
(i) Luni Basin (Godwar Tract)
(ii) Plain of Interior Drainage
(Sekhawati Tract)
2. Aravalli Range And Hilly Region
(a) Aravalli Range and Bhorat
Plateau
(b) Northeastern Hilly Region
3. Eastern Plains
(a) Banas Basin
(b) Chappan Plains

Source : Geography of Rajasthan by Dr.V.C.Mishra

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PHYSIOGRAPHY OF WESTERN DRY REGION RAJASTHAN contd

Luni is the only river

that meanders
through the desert
and reaches the
Arabian Sea through
the Rann of Kutch.
The river Luni which
rises at Ana Sagar at
Ajmer is the only
significant water
course in this area is
and flows towards
the southwest for a
distance of about 32
km through the
.
districts of Jodhpur,
Barmer and Jalor

Map showing physiography of Rajasthan western arid zone

6 of
India

SOILS OF WESTERN DRY REGION

1.DESERT SOIL
The largest area in Rajasthan is
occupied by desert soil, which
covers the area west of the
Aravalli's up to the Pakistan
border.
The entire tract is ill watered and
unproductive and characterized
with sand dunes, hillocks and
rock outcrops.

The soils contain about 90 to 95

per cent sand and about 5 to 7
per cent clay.
This windblown sand is partly
derived from the surface rocks
and partly from sand blown in
from the coastal regions.

Source : Geography of Rajasthan by Dr.V.C.M

SOILS OF WESTERN DRY REGION

2.GREY BROWN (DESERT) SOIL

This group of soil occurs in the

districts of Barmer, Jalor,
Jodhpur, Sirohi, Pali, Nagaur,
Sikar and Jhunjhunu and covers
an area of about 36,400 sq km.
The fertility of this soil
increases towards the east and
northeast.
The soil is saline and alkaline
and has a high pH value.
The pH of the soils and sands
ranges between 7.2 and 9.2 and
they are calcareous in nature.

Source : Geography of Rajasthan by Dr.V.C.M

VEGETATION OF WESTERN DRY REGION

Being largely influenced by edaphic and biotic factors, the

Western Dry Region is characterized by sparse vegetation.
Vegetation of this arid tract has well adapted to existing arid
conditions.
The potential vegetation of this region has been modified due to
intense biotic factors.
The vegetation of Western Dry Region has been grouped under
the following categories based on two prominent indices i.e.
density and frequency.
These have been used to identify the dominant and codominant species of vegetation.

NOTE: Edaphic factorsare defined as 'ecological influences properties of the soil

brought about by its physical and chemical characteristics
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VEGETATION OF WESTERN DRY REGION

TREES & SHRUBS

N
o

Common
Name

Botanical Name

Characteristi
cs

Remarks

KHEJRI

Prosopis cineraria

Flowering
Tree Yellow
Blooms

Wood
Firewood,Ma
nure

PILU

Salvadora oleoides

Tree with
dense foliage

Provides
shade and
fodder. Seen
where soil is
loam,silty
loam, or clay

KARIR

Capparis deciduas

Branched
shrub

Flowers and
fruits used
for medicinal
purposes

JHAR BER

Zizyphus

Shrub with

Prevents

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VEGETATION OF WESTERN DRY REGION

TREES AND SHRUBS contd.

No

Common Name

Botanical Name

AAK,MUDAAR,App Calotropis
le of
procera
Sodom,Rubber
bush

SANIA

Characteristi
cs

Remarks

Medium
height
flowering
shrub

Good soil
binder, food
for goats and
used for
making huts

Crettalaria
burhia

Same as AAK

POST MONSOON GROWING PLANTS

1

SONTIKLI, SONALI

BUI,KAPOK bush

Pulicaria
wightiama,

Aerva persica.

Annual
herb.Small
yellow
flowers

Flowering
Aug Spetmeber

Undershrub

Soil
binder,fodder
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VEGETATION OF WESTERN DRY REGION

PILU (Evergreen Tree)

KARIR( Decidous)

KHEJRI
Dry
Decidous
tree

JHAR BER(Evergreen/Deci)

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VEGETATION OF WESTERN DRY REGION

SANNIA (Decidous)

KAPOK (Decidous)

SONTIKLI

GUM ARABIC (Decidous)

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AGRICULTURE OF WESTERN DRY REGION

The net cropped area under agriculture in the region is 7.4 million
hectares which comes to about 43% of the geographical area.
The annual rainfall ranging from 100 mm to 500 mm, mostly in
the months of July, August and September allows only drought
resistant crops to be cultivated without irrigation during kharif.
The temporal variation in cropping intensity is very high.
Kharif is the main crop season and the extent of sowing in kharif
depends almost entirely on rainfall.
The rabi crops are grown under irrigated conditions and the
variation in area sown is less.
The incidence of crop failure has been is high in kharif due to below
normal or poorly distributed rainfall.
Irrigation provides security against crop failure during rains.

FOOTNOTES:
KHARIF (Monsoon Crop) Crops grown during the rainy season are called Kharif Crops. Seeds are sown in the beginning of the monsoon
season and after Maturation, the crops are harvested at the end of monsoon season (Oct Nov) eg: Paddy,maize,milllet cotton
RABI(Winter Crop) Crops grown during the summer season are called Rabi crops. Seeds are sown in the beginning of winter and after
maturity are harvested by the end of winter(April May) eg: Wheat, Gram, Mustard

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AGRICULTURE OF WESTERN DRY REGION

SOURCE: MAPS OF INDIA

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AGRICULTURE OF WESTERN DRY REGION

Agriculture crops: Cotton, castor, Taramira(Jamba), Pearl millet

(Bajra), Barley, Green gram & Guar.
Horticulture crops: Chillies, Carrot, Cumin(Jeera) and medicinal plants
(Isabgol, Senna, Aloe & Guggal).
Fruit crops: Ber, Anar(Pomegranate), Kinnu (Orange variety)&
Mausambi(Sweet lime).
Livestock & others: Camel, Cattle, Buffalo, Goat, Sheep, Mules &
Horses.
CROPPING SEQUENCES

Castor Chillies fallow

Bajra + Moth(Legume)/Guar- Barley- fallow
Bajra Mustard/Isabgol/Cumin(Jeera)
Bajra Taramira fallow
Cotton Wheat fallow

NOTE: Fallow (of farmland) ploughed and harrowed but left for a period without being
sown in order to restore its fertility or to avoid surplus production.
"incentives for farmers to let landlie fallow"

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DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

The Indira Gandhi Canal is a major step in reclaiming the

Thar Desert and checking desertification of fertile areas.
There is a planting programme for greening the desert in areas
near the Indira Gandhi Canal which was started in 1965.
This consists of the planting of shelter belts along roads and
canals, blocks of plantations and sand dune stabilization

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DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

In-situ water harvesting/conservation

Eg: taankas small lime-covered water

catchments to trap rainwater and run it
into a storage tank in the middle.
This well-shaped storage tank is covered,
and often even locked, to prevent
evaporation, contamination and pilfering
of the precious resource it holds.
Used only for drinking water,taankasare
one of many ways devised to make the
Thar habitable.

Tankaas

Kuis

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DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

Rajasthan has a number of ingenious traditional water harvesting

structures includingkuis,beris,saza
kuans,johads,kundis,baorisand jhalaras.

Reclamation of soil salinity (Desert Greening) through application

of Gypsum especially in oilseed crops
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DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

Enhancement of water use

efficiency through adoption of
cultural practices like ridge furrow
planting, inter-cropping/mixed
cropping with legumes, planting
against slopes (in hilly tract), interculture in between rows to create
soil mulch and vegetative/biomulching
Adoption of integrated farming
system with a component of crops,
livestock, silvi pastoral system, agrihorti system and
agri-horti-silviculture to sustain arid ecosystem to
cater food, feed, fodder and fuel
requirement in the region

Fig above.
Intercropping

Fig above. Ridge and

Furrow planting

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DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

Agroforestry -Growing of trees with agricultural crops is an

age old practice in arid and semi-arid region of India. Trees by
virtue of their perennial nature impart stability in production
along with improvement in microclimate and soil fertility.
Agri-pasture-Cropping between grass strips laid out against
prevalent wind direction not only reduce soil erosion but also
provide at least some biomass during low rainfall years. In
good rainfall year, production of arable crops increase along
with increased forage yield of grasses. A strip cropping of
grasses and kharif legumes in 1:2 ratio has been
recommended, with a strip width of 5 m.

Ley farming also increased grain yield of crop significantly

over control.

Intercropping of arid legumes withCenchrus ciliarisgave

higher yield, return and moisture use efficiency than sole
NOTE: Ley farmingis a system of rotating crops with legume or grass pastures to
pasture.
improve
soil structure and fertility and to disrupt pest and disease lifecycles. It has been
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practised in many parts of the world for centuries

NATURAL RESOURCES

The
Rajasthan
natural
resources include:
Oil and gas (first deposits
exploited in 2009 in Barmer
district)
79
kinds
of
minerals,
including almost the entire
production of zinc, calcite,
asbestos and gypsum in
India, and a significant
share in the production of
the following minerals:

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CONCLUSION
The Indian desert fauna is extremely rich in diversity. However the
pressures of a rapidly increasing population on the natural
resource base necessitate adoption of innovative and integrated
measures for conservation of desert ecosystems.
These pressures are enhanced by practices which lead to land
degradation, as described above.
The needed measures include:

a) Intensive water and moisture conservation through practices

based on traditional and science based knowledge, and relying
on traditional infrastructure.
b) Enhancing and expanding green cover based on local
species.
c) Reviewing the agronomic practices in these areas, and
promoting agricultural practices and varieties, which are well
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adapted to the desert ecosystem.