Heavy rain impacted paddy yield: Experts

Ludhiana, December 15

Experts at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) who investigated various factors responsible for reduction in paddy yield this year in Punjab and Haryana, came out with a conclusion that weather vagaries observed during kharif season and paddy transplanting date (June 20) had no negative impact on yield.

The experts said Punjab received more rainfall in 2018 as compared to 2017. Ludhiana district recorded an average rainfall of 395 mm in 2017, whereas in 2018 it was 843 mm. Due to increased rain, a greater cloud cover was observed throughout the state. As a result, there was a reduction in number of sunshine hours. This further led to a decrease in tillering. Lack of sunshine also impacted the plant height and decrease in number of branches which was the direct cause of low yield.

The second main cause of yield reduction was heavy rain during the last week of September. Two heavy rainfalls on September 22 and 28 were recorded for the first time in 50 years. As a result, average temperatures starting from this period right up to mid-October remained 4-5 degree centigrade below normal. This led to an increase in the number of empty grains and late maturing.

In addition to heavy rainfall, crop was flattened by strong winds and hail at some places. While the day temperatures fell 4-5 degrees below normal, there was lesser variation (1-2 degrees) in the night temperatures, which resulted in decreased difference between day and night temperatures. These temperature differences led to reduced translocation to the grains, reduction in grain weight and consequently the grain yield. TNS