Prairie Soils & Crops Journal

Agricultural meteorology is the study of how climate and weather impact agricultural systems. Solar energy, in the form of radiation, is the driver behind the regional distribution of climate and weather across the surface of the earth. After long time periods climate and weather become somewhat unique to a given region. Regional differences in, for example, solar radiation, temperature, precipitation, wind and humidity are identifiable and contribute to determining the agricultural practices that are practical and profitable in a given region. Although the energy budget and water balance vary across regions, there are basic principles for solar energy, temperature and water availability that can be applied independent of regions