Bumper wheat production expected this season: Experts

Tribune News Service

Parveen Arora

Karnal, January 15

The chilly weather conditions that are prevailing in the north-west zone areas are good for the wheat crop, which is at present at the tillering and post-tillering stage, said scientists of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley (IIWBR), Karnal.

The crop will be at the flowering stage in the coming days and thereafter at the grain-filling stage and later in the maturity stage, the scientists added.

Don’t use fertiliser without consultation

The yellowing of plants or leaves should not be considered yellow rust and nitrogen deficiency. It can be due to the chilly weather, so without any consultation, the farmers should avoid the application of fertilisers on the crop. —Dr Anuj Kumar, Principal scientist, IIWBR

The scientists claimed that at present, the weather condition was conducive for high yield and they were expecting a bumper crop this year, which got a blow in March-April due to the sudden heat wave. They were expecting 112 million metric tonne in 2021-22, but due to heat wave in March and April, it was limited to 106.84 million metric tonne in comparison to 109.59 million metric tonne in 2020-21. In the current season, scientists are expecting production of 112 million metric tonne.

Climatic conditions in Haryana, Punjab, UP, and Rajasthan, which are major wheat-producing states, are beneficial for wheat crop. A good sign is that no disease such as yellow rust has been reported so far, which will also help in good production, said Dr Gyanendra Singh, Director, IIWBR.

“There is a prediction of rainfall. We are also expecting light to moderate rainfall in a couple of days, which will not only help in saving irrigation, but will also help in good production,” he said. The country is likely to achieve the target of 112 million metric tonne this season as the farmers have cultivated new varieties recommended by experts such as DBW-187, DBW-303, DBW-222 and HD-3226 instead of old varieties.

Dr Anuj Kumar, Principal Scientist, IIWBR, appealed to the farmers not to spray any chemical without the recommendation or consultation of experts.

He said the yellowing of plants or leaves should not be considered yellow rust and nitrogen deficiency. “It can be due to the chilly weather, so without any consultation, the farmers should avoid the application of fertilisers on the crop,” said Kumar.

The farmers are also happy with the climatic condition. “If there is a light rainfall in a couple of days, it will be beneficial to end the dry spell. Rainfall is much better than irrigation,” said Rishpal Singh, a farmer of the Nilokheri block.

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