Rain effect: Yield may drop by 10% in Amritsar district

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 25

Heavy rain on Friday night wreaked havoc on the standing wheat crop leaving the farmers worried who fear a loss of yield and loss in luster of wheat grains. Starting in the afternoon on Friday, rain continued intermittently till early this morning. Even hailstorm was reported from different areas of the district.

Satinder Singh, a resident of Majitha, said, “Heavy rain and hailstorm have caused a huge damage to crops, especially the wheat crop, as in most areas more than 50 per cent of the crop has been flattened.” The wheat crop had also suffered damages from showers early this week.

Most farmers said too much water, when the crop has already matured, causes it to flatten. “As the soil becomes muddy, the roots lose their grip leading to flattening of the crop,” said Harpal Singh, another farmer.

Some farmers said while some grains are lost due to the impact of rain drops hitting them, those still on the sapling lose their luster as moisture in a flattened crop does not go away easily. They said they would face difficulty in selling their produce, which has lost its luster and has been discoloured.

Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Jatinder Singh Gill said, “In most of the fields, nearly 50 per cent of the crop has flattened.” He said in some areas, the damage was even more while in others it was less. The fields where the crop had flattened by over 50 per cent, the yield was expected to fall by 5 per cent to 15 per cent.

He said farmers were required to drain out the excess water from the wheat fields as it could cause further damage.