Wheat thrives as heat spell remains absent so far: Centre’s review

A record hot spell in March last year crimped output of the staple in the world’s second-largest grower by 2.5% to 106 million tonne.

A widely anticipated heatwave in northwestern food bowl states has not struck so far, nor is expected to in the coming week, helping to keep the country’s crucial wheat crop in good shape, according to a latest government review. Harvesting will begin within a fortnight.

“Absence of a heatwave has kept wheat crops healthy and robust and there is no adverse impact,” said Gyanendra Singh, head of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal. (HT)

A record hot spell in March last year crimped output of the staple in the world’s second-largest grower by 2.5% to 106 million tonne. This stoked food prices and drove state reserves to a six-year low.

“Absence of a heatwave has kept wheat crops healthy and robust and there is no adverse impact,” said Gyanendra Singh, head of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal.

Temperatures, as predicted by the India Meteorological Department, remain above normal in most of the country. But pre-monsoon thunderstorms and some rainfall in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana have kept heat levels from rising precipitously. Pockets in Gujarat and Maharashtra are the only ones to have faced heatwaves so far.

Forecasters have predicted high chances of heatwaves this month through May that could pressure many sectors of the economy, especially agriculture and power generation.

“Representatives from major wheat-producing states, namely Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan apprised that no adverse effects on the wheat crop have been observed as of yet,” an agriculture ministry document said, summarizing a review held on March 10.

The ministry’s crop weather watch group, based on inputs from the national weather agency, said in the “week (March 9 - 15), gradual rise in maximum temperatures by 2-3⁰C (is) very likely during 1st half of the week,” followed by a “fall by 2-3⁰C thereafter”. The food bowl states are forecast to see isolated rains over the next two days.

Northwestern states have escaped a heatwave so far because of back-to-back western disturbances. These are squally weather systems that cross into India from the Mediterranean. Even so, these systems have been weak, stoking the mercury, analysts said.

India has officially forecast a record wheat output of 112 million tonne, the highest ever, but this hinges on the weather holding up. The frequency of heatwaves, which scientists have linked to global warming, has increased in the past five years.

According to the Met department’s classifications, a heatwave is declared when either the mercury is higher by 4.5°C to 6.40°C for at least two days, or if the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40°C or more for the plains and at least 30°C or more for hilly regions.