Description of climatic factors for informed Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) cultivation in Kafta Humera District, North Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Sesame is an important oil crop and is very well-known for its quality plant oil. The study was conducted in Kafta-Humera to assess the rainfall variability and distribution of the area at an annual, seasonal, and monthly and 10 days scales based on the daily rainfall; and to describe the summer based on the accumulated rainfall and dry spell durations. All the meteorological data were analysed using InStat statistical package software. The mean of the kiremt rainfall was 556 mm with 95% confidence for mean 479.8 to 633.43 mm and has high variability with a coefficient of variability about 0.24. The rainfall intensity during the Kiremt season in Humera showed that the seasonal rainfall varies from 307.1 mm to 777 mm in 4 months. March, April, and May were the hottest months, where all the years have at least 1 day with a maximum temperature of above 44°C and the mean seasonal rainfall was 556.61 mm. The variability of the mean temperatures of all the months were very less except for July, August, and October with very high mean monthly temperature variability (SD>4). Kiremt, the main rainy season onset is the first wet spell of the year at least 3 days totalling 20 mm or more, provided there were no sequences of 10 or more dry days in the subsequent 30 days. The start date of sowing at Kafta-Humera was 19 June with a 95% confidence interval of average 07 June to 01 July. It had high variability with a standard deviation of about 2 weeks. Hence, farmers should arrange their sowing time in between the summer onset ranges, i.e. 07 June to 01 July.