The Hindu Business Line : Rains, hailstorm ring alarm for wheat crop

IF it was the early onset of summer last year, it is unseasonal rains and hailstorms that are a source of concern this time for the country's wheat crop due to be harvested from mid-April.

The last couple of days have seen heavy rains along with isolated hailstorms in the entire wheat-growing belt of north-west and northern India, consequent to a low pressure induced by western disturbances over North Pakistan and the adjoining Jammu & Kashmir regions.

"Many areas in Haryana, including Hissar, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Panipat and Sonepat and also in Punjab have been receiving heavy rains and hail in the past few days, which is a cause for worry," said Dr Jag Shoran, who heads the Karnal-based Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR).

The problem with heavy rains at this point is that the soil becomes loose. As a result, the crop, which has attained a critical height of about one metre, is prone to lodging, more so if there are accompanying fast winds. "The danger of lodging is no doubt there. We hope that there would be no more incessant rains," he added.

The Director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Dr S. Nagarajan, was, however, more optimistic. According to him, as long as rains were to the extent of a couple of millimetres every alternate day - which it appears to be as of now - the crop would not suffer lodging. "It is like having light sprinkler irrigation, which will increase moisture availability for the crop without percolating into the soil," he pointed out.

But the one good thing the rains have done, according to both Dr Shoran and Dr Nagarajan, is that they have brought down temperatures, which would be beneficial to the standing crop.

The wheat crop in Punjab, Haryana and much of Northern India is now in the `early-dough stage', which follows the flowering period towards the last week of February. The 40-45 days period after flowering is the time when `grain filling' takes place, which, to a large extent, determines the weight (and, therefore, yield) of the grain to be harvested after mid-April.

In the present early dough or grain filling stage, the starch matter is still milky and semi-solid, which requires maintenance of day temperatures not more than 30-32 degree Celsius and night temperatures of 12-13 degrees. As long as the maximum temperature does not cross 35 degrees till the end of the month, the normal onset of summer would dry up the moisture and makes the grain hard.

On the other hand, if temperatures shoot up suddenly, as they did in mid-March last year, there is every possibility of the grain filling stage being cut short, forcing early maturity of the crop. To give an idea, every extra day on the field after mid-March means an additional grain weight of 45 kg per hectare. If the crop attains maturity one week or 10 days in advance, it translates into a yield loss of almost half-a-tonne per hectare.

Dr Shoran said from the standpoint of temperature, the current situation is ideal for wheat. Also, there has been no incidence of brown rust in the Eastern UP-Bihar regions or yellow rust in Punjab and Haryana.

But the same rosy situation does not apply with regard to rains.

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