Fresh furrows ahead: Paddy harvest ends, farmers ready soil for wheat

With the paddy harvesting season coming to an end, farmers across the region have begun preparing their fields for the upcoming wheat sowing season. Agricultural experts have urged the farming community to choose high-yielding, climate-smart, and pest-resistant varieties to ensure better productivity and sustainability.

As per the data of the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, wheat sowing in the district is expected to cover nearly 4.25 lakh acres this season. “We have sufficient supply of DAP and urea for the season and the farmers are advised to follow the instructions given by the agricultural experts during sowing,” said Dr Wazir Singh, Deputy Director Agriculture (DDA), Karnal.

Agricultural experts have listed DBW-327, DBW-371, DBW-372, DBW-187, DBW-303, DBW-222, DBW-386, PBW-872, PBW-826, and HD-3386 among the top recommended varieties for the current sowing season. For areas where sowing may be delayed, the late-sown variety DBW-771 has been advised to maintain the yield quality.

To achieve higher efficiency, the farmers are increasingly turning to advanced farm machinery such as the super seeder, which performs multiple farm operations in a single pass, including tilling and sowing. “The super seeder machine saves both time and manpower,” said Sukhwinder Singh Chawla, a progressive farmer from Nagla Megha village. “All activities, including tilling, seeding and covering the seed are done by a single machine. It also helps manage paddy residue effectively, preventing the need for stubble burning,” he said.

He said he had achieved a good yield last year by cultivating wheat varieties such as DBW-327 and PBW-872, and planned to repeat the same varieties this year due to their proven performance and resilience.

Ravinder Singh, another farmer, said, “He is going to sow DBW-327 which has been recommended by agricultural experts. Using machines like the super seeder not only saves fuel but also helps in maintaining soil health,” he added.

Meanwhile, the scientists of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR), Karnal, issued advisory for the farmers for early, timely and late sowing varieties.

Dr Ratan Tiwari, Director of the ICAR–IIWBR, Karnal, explained the importance of sowing wheat at the right time. “Early wheat varieties are sown between the end of October and the first week of November. Timely sown varieties should be planted between the first and third week of November, while late-sown varieties should only be used from the end of November to mid-December for optimal yield,” he said.

Dr Tiwari also emphasised the importance of seed treatment before planting to prevent fungal diseases. “Farmers must treat seeds to avoid diseases such as loose smut, flag smut, Karnal bunt and seedling blight, which can severely affect the crop. Seed treatment is a low-cost but highly effective precaution,” he noted.

The Director said the farmers should choose the best suitable variety for the area and condition. In combine harvested paddy field, the direct wheat seeding can be done using happy seeder or smart seeder in the presence of loose crop residue. The farmers should follow timely planting and avoid delay in sowing of wheat crop to avoid yield losses due to adverse effects of heat around maturity. He also urged the farmers not to grow varieties from other zones to avoid risk of disease susceptibility.

Dr Tiwari said the farmers should manage crop with optimum inputs of fertiliser, irrigation water, herbicides and fungicides for maximum yield. “Timely and judiciously irrigate fields to save water and cut costs. Soil testing before sowing for optimum nutrient management is advised to the farmers,” he said.

For seed treatment, he advised to treat wheat seed with Carboxin 75 WP @ 2.5 g/kg, Carbendazim 50 WP @ 2.5 g/kg, or Tebuconazole 2DS @ 1.25 g/kg seed before sowing.

For weed management, Director Dr Tiwari said for control of diverse weed flora, including multiple herbicide resistant phalaris minor (Kanaki/Gulli Danda), spray pyroxasulfone 85 WG at the rate of 60 grams/acre alone or in combination with pendimethalin 30 EC 2.0 lit/acre 0-3 days after sowing.