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Introduction
Nature, through its diverse manifestations provides a variety of possibilities for development in different areas (Hettner, 1947) which needs understanding and coordination with its resources for the harmony of mankind with nature (McHarg, 1969). Hence, efforts are needed to quantify environmental attributes to meet various human needs through a balanced ecological planning, modification and adjustment in any area. Agriculture is not merely growing of crops. But it is more a form of applied ecology. The agricultural systems are governed by the basic factors like terrain, climate, soils and water resources, which are interrelated. But,Klages (1958) and many other scholars agreed that climatic factors exert mainly a regional influence on the behaviour of plant or a group of plants over extensive areas. Such differences are considered primarily due to the differences in phytoclimates rather than soil conditions. Three most important phyto-climatic factors are temperature, water supply and light these are considered as primary determinates of growth (Singh and Dhillon, 1994) of a crop or plant. However, they pointed out that temperature and moisture constitute the major climatic elements, which have the greatest significance to agriculture around the world. It is, therefore, essential to analyse these growth determining factors so that the real crop structures and agricultural production potentials of an area may be assessed and planned accordingly for the development.
The plant species has its own minimum and maximum temperature requirement beyond which its life activity ceases (Kochhar, 1967). In other words, each crop plant needs a certain number of effective heat units for germination, growth, flowering, maturing and ripening. Moreover, productivity of most of the crops are determined, to a considerable extent, by heat and moisture resources The

2 temperature being the source of heat for growing crops (Chirkov, 1979) regulates all the chemical and physical process of plant metabolism and without suitable temperature, germination of seeds and growth of plants are affected Further, with rise in temperature above the optimum level the metabolic activity is slowed down. Schimper, (1903) pointed out that the crucial air temperature is 6C, at and above which plants grow. The ideal temperature condition for crop production, however, ranges between 18.3 C to 23.9 C. So it is quite important to analyse available air temperature to determine effective heat resources of an area for crop planning. Moisture, the other basic primary and phyto climatic factor is indeed a basic factor in crop production and rainfall is the potential source of moisture. It is the dominant single weather element influencing location and nature of farming systems. Besides, it is rainfall, that determines the potential of any region in terms of crops to be produced, farming system to be adopted, the nature and sequence of farming operations to be followed and also to achieve higher agricultural productivity. But variations in rainfall from year to year or even from one season to the other season, becomes critical for agricultural operations. These variations may results either dry spells or water logging, which may last for several days, weeks or even months varying from place to place depending on the distance from the sea or mountain, topographical alignment and the formation of abnormal pressure system. Therefore, the emergence of such wayward behaviour of rainfall from year to year gives rise to different cropping patterns and imbalances in levels of agricultural productivity. Humidity of air is one of the different forms of water in nature. Atmospheric moisture in the form of invisible vapour is known as humidity. The humidity of air is expressed in terms of relative it values. It is the amount of moisture in air as percentage of the amount which the air can hold at saturation at the existing temperature. Humidity is greatly influenced by intensity of solar radiation, temperature, altitude, wind, exposure, cover and water status of soil. High temperature increase the capacity of the air to retain moisture and cause lower relative humidity. Conversely low temperature causes higher relative humidity by decreasing the

3 capacity of air for moisture more over, daily variations in relative humidity values

depend upon the type of habitat conditions. In plains and deserts, it may show variations during day, whereas in oceanic island there is little variations, being same through out the year. However a decrease or increase in saturation deficit causes a fall or a rise in evaporation rate respectively. Similarly temperature variations also influence evaporation. Dry winds decrease the amount of air moisture by removing moist air about plants and mixing it with dry air decreases humidity and there by increases transpiration. Thus humidity affect the life of plants in various ways. Effects of moist air on plants are more or less similar to those of reduced light intensity. Some plants as orchids, Lichens, Mosses etc.; make direct use of atmospheric moisture. In fungi and other microbes, it plays an important role in germination of spores and subsequent stages in life cycle. The Sagar Island of Sundarban in West Bengal is adequately rich in moisture in the from of rainfall and humidity as well as heat resources in the form of air temperature. The present level of production of the island can substantially be increased by harnessing these potential resource bases. In fact present demographic explosion and general rise in the standard of living require a greater consumption of food products of higher quality. Under such situation any additional food output must come largely through increasing the production per unit time per unit area. Only a rationally planned agriculture can meet this need, which, however, involves an appropriate analysis of phyto-climatic factors of the area as well as effective planning and utilization of its available resources. Objective: Keeping in view the above background, the study was undertaken with the following objectives. 1. To analysis air temperature and humidity

2. to study rainfall and its probable occurrences 3. To study the inter-relationship of the phyto-climatic factors