ABSTRACT
Plants depend for growth and development on their genetic constitution and on the environmental conditions of soil and climate. As an ecological factor in agriculture, soil has been thoroughly studied and is better understood than climate. In general, farmers know more about soil management than they do about fully exploiting climatic resources. One reason for the slow progress of agricultural meteorology is the common misconception that studies of plant and climate relationships have only limited practical value. Although man is not yet able to change the weather, except on a very limited scale, he is capable of adjusting agricultural practices to fit the climate. Apart from the many applications of weather forecasting to current problems, meteorological studies may benefit agriculture in at least three other ways.
