Rainfall Variability and Drought Incidences During Crop Growing Season in Selected Stations of Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia : Implication for Rainfed Wheat Crop

Ethiopian economy relies on Agriculture, but it is highly dependent on rainfall. Rainfall is highly varying spatially and temporally affecting cropping pattern and productivity. Drought incidences and prolonged dry days during crop growing season are the leading challenges of agricultural production in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study characterizes the rainfall and drought events aligning with wheat growing season in the southern region of Ethiopia, particularly of Hadiya zone. Thus, the reliable start and end dates of rainy season were determined by using water balance techniques from agriculturalist point of view, and modified Mann-kendall test used to analyze rainfall trend. The standardized precipitation index (SPI) used to characterize drought events. Markov Chain Model used to assess the dry and wet spell conditions. The long-term average start and end of rainfall season are April 23 and October 30 at Fonko while April 14 and November 1 at Hosanna respectively. The crop water requirement of wheat does not vary by planting date in the study area and ranged between 483.6mm and 512.2mm during the growing season. There were higher probabilities of dry spell occurrences during the small rainy season (Belg). During both rainy seasons, higher frequency of moderate drought event followed by severe drought experienced at both stations. In the area, supplemental irrigation particularly at critical growing stages of crops is crucial, implementing moisture conservation measures such as mulching and other in-situ, and ex-situ moisture conservation techniques are indispensable