When to harvest wheat if it doesn’t rain, according to PAU experts

These days, the average temperature is around 35°C, which is ideal for the wheat crop that is left to mature in the fields. Farmers are concerned since the Chandigarh Meteorological Centre has issued a yellow signal for tomorrow, predicting light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, and gusty winds.

Now that it’s raining, crops—both standing and harvested—may suffer greatly. In addition to raising the standing crop’s moisture content and causing lodging, it may cause issues for farmers without access to covered storage spaces.

According to Dr. MS Bhullar, Director of Extension Education at Punjab Agricultural University, the present temperature is ideal for standing wheat crops since it would facilitate good reaping.

Dr. Bhullar said, “Rain or wind at this point can prove fatal for the crop as they will flatten it and also increase the moisture.”

Gurbachan Singh, a concerned farmer from Koom Kalan village, said that he has not yet harvested the crop and is holding out for the grain to ripen. “Next week, I will harvest the crop.” He added, “If God is not kind, it won’t rain, which would cause enormous damage.”

Because rain might dampen the wheat, Kulwinder Singh, who has harvested his crop but has not yet hoisted the product, is also concerned.

Experts have warned farmers not to water their wheat crop since it is generally at the grain-filling, near-maturity stage and might cause lodging.

“To reduce the impact of high temperatures at grain filling and to increase the yield, apply one spray of salicylic acid by dissolving 15g of salicylic acid in 450ml of ethyl alcohol using 200l of water per acre at the early milk stage,” a PAU specialist said.

Experts advise farmers to begin planting suggested cotton kinds, including hybrids like Bt cotton, and to regularly water cucurbits, tomatoes, brinjal, capsicum, and chilies.

Do not overwater.

The Punjab Agricultural University Department of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology reports that the highest temperature for today was 35.4°C, while the lowest was 20.2°C.

On Thursday, Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney gave the procurement agencies’ district heads instructions to speed up the district’s wheat lifting procedure from the mandis.

7,351.4 MT of wheat have arrived in the district’s grain markets as of right now; 76.54% of the crop has been bought, and farmers have received payments totaling Rs 4.7 crore.