ABSTRACT
Plant growth and performance in cropping systems are subject to environmental and management conditions. The environment is a function of all those factors related to land and climate. Management is related to human activities. Temperatures and rainfall seem sufficiently high between November and April to support the growth of subtropical crops such as maize, millets and groundnuts. The dry season is so severe, however, that it is unlikely that any crop can be grown. More information on factors determining the moisture balance is, therefore, required to design cropping systems which make optimum use of the environment. Potential and Actual Evapotranspiration of Salisbury. Because of the dry season, the agricultural potential of the area depends largely on the length of the rainy season and the distribution of the rain. The season lasts five to six months and for a period of at least 130 days the rainfall exceeds the Actual Evapotranspiration by a considerable amount.
