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Haryana: Fog, mercury dip to aid wheat growth, say experts
Dense fog and a drop in temperature in Haryana, a key wheat-producing state in India, is expected to benefit wheat crops during the winter season. Experts say that wheat thrives in cold conditions and foggy weather, and the current weather is expected to improve the overall yield of the crop. Almost 95% of wheat sowing has been completed in the Karnal region, and farmers are hopeful that the dense fog will continue. The Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research regularly issues advisories to farmers based on weather reports from the Indian Meteorological Department.
Sudden drop in temperature and dense fog in Haryana, one of the country’s key wheat-producing states, is expected to aid the sowing of wheat crop during the ongoing Rabi (winter) season, experts say.
Agricultural experts said that wheat thrives in cold conditions and foggy weather is a boon for it.
“The new varieties of wheat like DBW 187, DBW 327 and others, sown mostly in the north-western region, are tolerant to heat as well as very low temperatures,” said Dr BS Tyagi, principal scientist at ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) in Karnal.
“The crop is currently at the tillering stage and low temperature helps to create a better canopy. The prevailing weather will improve the grain filling with increased flowering and will improve the overall yield of the crop,” Dr Tyagi told the HT.
Wheat, the main winter crop, is sown between late October and early December, while the harvesting will start from April onwards. As of now, almost 95% wheat sowing has been done in the Karnal region, an official said.
Parvesh Kumar, a farmer from Kurukshetra’s Pehowa block said, “Earlier we were worried due to inconsistent weather conditions, where only the mornings and evenings were cold. If the dense fog remains for some more days, it will be favourable for the wheat crop.”
Officials said that based on the weekly weather reports from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the IIWBR issues advisories to the farmers and the information is circulated to state agriculture departments, state agricultural universities (SAUs), krishi vigyan kendras (KVKs) and are uploaded regularly on websites, Facebook and circulated through WhatsApp groups.
In a recent advisory, director Gyanendra Singh has asked the farmers to use nitrogen-based fertilisers, if required, at afternoon and irrigate the field 21 days after the sowing.
