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Mercury dip to aid wheat growth, say experts

By, Karnal
Dec 20, 2024 06:18 AM IST

Scientists at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) in Karnal said that wheat thrives in cold conditions and fog that is likely to cover the belt soon, is also a boon for the crop.

The prevailing cold-weather conditions in the northern belt and frost in some areas of the region is expected to aid the sowing of wheat crop during the ongoing Rabi (winter) season, agricultural experts believe.

Residents warming themselves around a camp fire in Ludhiana on Thursday evening. (Manish/Hindustan Times)
Residents warming themselves around a camp fire in Ludhiana on Thursday evening. (Manish/Hindustan Times)

Scientists at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) in Karnal said that wheat thrives in cold conditions and fog that is likely to cover the belt soon, is also a boon for the crop.

They said that so far 29.5-million-hectare wheat sowing has been recorded in the country till the first fortnight of December, which is nearly 1.5 million hectares more than last year.

Wheat, the main winter crop, is sown between late October and early December, while the harvesting will start from April onwards.

Principal scientist Anuj Kumar said, “The prevailing weather will improve the grain filling with increased flowering and will improve the overall yield of the crop.”

Officials of the state agriculture department said that frost on crops has been reported in the morning hours in the Hisar region and also in some places of Kaithal, which, Kumar said is also favourable for the crop.

He said that in Punjab, farmers have reported to them about similar frost conditions in Bathinda and Fatehgarh Sahib.

Charanjeet Singh, a farmer from Yamunanagar district said, “Weather is currently favourable for the crop and if there is there is dense fog in coming days, it will be very helpful for the crop.”

Based on the weekly weather reports from Indian meteorological department (IMD), the IIWBR issues fortnightly 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 and social media.

In such an advisory issued on December 16 for rest of the month, director Ratan Tiwari, asked the farmers that the nitrogen dose should be completed up to 40 to 45 days after sowing and apply urea just before irrigation.

From irrigation point of view, the director asked them to water the field 21 days after the sowing and to keep an eye on the weather before irrigation and in case of rain forecast, avoid doing so.

Cold wave persists in Punjab, Haryana; Faridkot records 2 degrees C

Biting cold conditions persisted in several areas of Punjab and Haryana on Thursday, with Faridkot recording a minimum temperature of 2 degrees Celsius, the meteorological department said.

Bathinda also remained under the grip of severe cold, recording a low of 3.6 degrees Celsius, while Pathankot and Gurdaspur registered minimum temperatures of 4.6 and 4.5 degrees Celsius, respectively, it said.

According to the data from the department, Amritsar logged a minimum temperature of 4.2 degrees, while Ludhiana registered a low of 5.6 degree Celsius and Patiala recorded a minimum of 6.5 degree Celsius.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, registered a low of 7.4 degrees Celsius, the data read.

In Haryana, Hisar logged a minimum of 2.8 degrees Celsius, while Sirsa and Karnal were also swept by severe cold, with both places recording respective lows of 3.2 and 5.3 degrees Celsius, the weather office said.

It said that Rohtak registered a low of 5.6 degrees and Ambala recorded a minimum of 8.1 degrees Celsius. (With inputs from PTI)

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