High Feb temp likely to hamper wheat yields
By Jitendra Choubey
With the temperature rising above normal in February, the fate of wheat crops in Northwest India looks uncertain. The rising temperature may shrivel wheat pods, impacting the quality and quantity of it’s production.
Wheat production in India has seen a decline in last three years. The grain at the pod filling stage needs a minimum or low temperature to help the grain take a robust shape.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), maximum temperatures in Northwest India are reportedly 2-6 °C above normal in different pockets. The minimum temperatures also rise above normal by 1-3 °C. The staple crop wheat grows over 75 per cent in Northwest India.
The IMD predicted below-normal rainfall and higher temperature in February over the plains of Northwest India, which would adversely impact standing crops like wheat at flowering and grain filling stages. Crops like mustard and chickpeas may also experience early maturity.
“Above normal temperatures in parts of Northwest and Central India may lead to forced maturity, sterile spikelet, and chaffy grains, reducing yields during growth stages such as flowering and grain filling in crops like wheat and barley. Mustard and chickpea may also experience early harvest,” said Debasish Jena, an agro meteorologist and research scholar G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology.
He also said that vegetables like onions, garlic, and tomatoes may be affected during bulb formation or flowering, resulting in tip burning, bolting, and mismatched pollination, reducing their quality and yield.
Early heat wave arrival in 2022 has impacted the overall production of wheat. India’s wheat production declined by 18 Lakh tones, a report read.
The Director of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) however, denied any impact of rising temperatures and underlined that no sign of heat stress is visible over wheat.
“There is no sign of heat stress reported from wheat-producing states,” said Dr Ratan Kumar Singh, Director IIWBR. “Rising of temperature does not factor in much for the robust growth of grains. The current average temperature is suitable for wheat at this stage,” said Ratan. However, he said farmers need to remain watchful.
The latest IIWBR advisor said farmers need to take care of irrigation at the peak hours and spray certain fertilizers. It further advised that sprinkler irrigation may be provided for one hour on days with high temperatures in Southern Haryana and Northern parts of Rajasthan.
‘Spray fertilizers on high temperature days’
The Director of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) denied any impact of rising temperatures and said that no sign of heat stress is visible over wheat. The IIWBR advisor said that farmers need to take care of irrigation at the peak hours and spray certain fertilizers. It further advised that sprinkler irrigation may be provided for one hour on days with high temperatures in Southern Haryana and Northern parts of Rajasthan.
This article has been republished from The New Indian Express.