ABSTRACT

Statistical science plays a major role in any scientic investigation. The use of appropriate statistical techniques for analysing data is very crucial to obtain a meaningful interpretation of the investigation. Statistical analyses play an important role in agro-meteorology, as they provide a means of interrelating series of data from diverse sources,

Abstract 123 4.1 Introduction 124 4.2 Relationship studies 126

Correlation analysis 127 Regression analysis 128 Regression analysis using qualitative climatic

explanatory variables 131 Logistic regression analysis 132 Time series approach 133

4.3 Impact studies 137 A test for structural change 138 Paired t-test for assessing the impact 139 Cluster and discriminant analysis 139

References 140

namely, biological data, soil and crop data and atmospheric measurements. Owing to the complexity and multiplicity of the effects of environmental factors on agricultural production, it is necessary to use statistical techniques to detect the interactions of these factors and their practical consequences. Based on the objectives and interests of the research, appropriate statistical models starting from multiple regression analysis to logistic regression to time series modelling have to be employed. The main objective of this chapter is to provide the basic idea behind some statistical tools that can be successfully employed to study the effect of climatic factors on crop production.