Climatological aspects of the harvest on the yield of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in the mesoregions of Northeastern Pará and Metropolitan Belém

Abstract

The tropical climate variability of precipitation is of fundamental importance for the development of several economic activities, in particular, agriculture. The State of Pará is one of the main producers of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), food that in addition to being a source of nutrients, is responsible for the occupation and maintenance of the man in the field by generating work and income, due to its strong nature involving the family labor.The study aimed to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of the relation between precipitation and cassava yield in the mesoregions of Northeastern Pará and Metropolitan Region of Belém. Through climatic indexes such as SOI and AMM, precipitation data (CHIRPS) and geoprocessing tools, it was possible to identify that, in general, about the period and region studied, the average yield of Cassava shows an increasing tendency, being the opposite of the planted area.The relation between precipitation and yield was presented in a complex way, which this relation does not always occur directly. In addition to the amount of rain, its distribution over the days is extremely important, knowing that many days with rain or without rain can be harmful to the crop due to the rotting of the roots and the proliferation of mites. In this sense, climate changes significantly change the distribution of precipitation, while most of the relations between the variables which provided high cassava yields, presented anomalous conditions.