Cold conditions bring cheer to wheat farmers in Haryana
Favourable weather conditions till now has brought cheers to wheat growers as the low temperature for about a fortnight and now, sunshine during the day, has had a positive impact on the crops.
Agriculture experts also expect good yield of wheat and other rabi crops in view of the prevailing cold conditions, though they have issued a warning to those wheat farmers who sowed some specific varieties of wheat, to be watchful about yellow rust. Haryana has about 25-lakh hectare of wheat area this rabi season.
A wheat farmer, Ramesh Kumar of Maghawali village in Fatehabad district, said after consistent low temperature and foggy conditions, the bright sunshine on Wednesday and Thursday had given a new lease of life to the wheat plants. “We had witnessed some yellowish patches due to prolonged absence of sunshine. But two days’ sunshine has rejuvenated the plants,” he said, adding that so far, there is no need of spraying for the disease in the crop.
Dr Om Prakash Bishnoi, Wheat Scientist, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University, (HAU), Hisar, said, “Favourable conditions like low temperature and now sunshine has helped in the growth of wheat plants. But the farmers who have sown some specific varieties, including HD 2967, HD 2851, WH 711, PBW 343 which are prone to yellow rust, need to be watchful about the fungus in plants. However, some other varieties such as WH 1105, WH1184, WH 1270, PBW 826, DBW 303 and 327 are resistant to yellow rust and thus those farmers who have cultivated these varieties need not worry.” he said adding that though till now there is no report of yellow rust from any area in Haryana.
Dr Bishnoi said below 15 °C and humidity between 80-90 per cent was the most favourable climatic condition for yellow rust, which travelled from hilly areas to the plains through air. He said the wheat yield was expected to be very good this season.
Dr Ram Kumar, an agriculture expert, said the area under wheat, which was the main rabi crop in Haryana, remained almost the same as compared to last year. The average yield could go even higher if there was a spell of winter rain. It was almost a dry season and the IMD has also predicted no showers in the next few days. However, Farmers needed to be alert about the frost affecting the mustard, which was the second important rabi crop, in the coming days. With the mustard plants in the flowering stage, the frost could cause damage to the plants.
Kuldeep Singh, a farmer of Bahbalpur village in Hisar, who was concerned over the yellowish colour of his one-acre wheat crop till two days ago, now said the wheat plants had revived with the sunshine. The HAU expert said the sunshine had made up for the nutrients’ deficiencies. If it remained cold like this till about a week, the wheat heads, which were in the process of grain-filling, would have healthier grain, he said.
