Rise in temperature has wheat growers worried

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 27

Farmers across the state are a worried lot as the increase in day temperature is likely to hit yield of their wheat crop.

Harvesting of wheat ideally starts on Baisakhi festival that falls on April 14 and farmers fear that steep rise in day’s temperature these days is likely to lead to early maturing of the grains and hence lesser yield.

Wheat is sown on nearly 25 lakh hectares out of 33 lakh hectares under the rabi crop this year.

Farmers were expecting a bumper crop before the day temperature started showing upward trends from March 21 when the maximum temperature crossed 30 degree Celsius for the first time after winters.

The day temperature has since been on the rise and according to weathermen it is likely to cross 40 degree Celsius on Tuesday.

“Rain and dip in temperature in January have raised hopes of bumper crop this year and all was going well till the day temperature started showing a sudden surge a week ago,” said Gurjeet Singh Mann, a progressive farmer from Kirpal Patti village in Sirsa district.

He said a slight lower temperature for a few more days would have provided a little more duration to the crop to mature and hence weightier grains.

Now, the grains would mature earlier than normal schedule and would be of smaller in size, affecting the overall yield of the crop adversely, he added.

Lower temperature in March had resulted in bumper crop of wheat in 2012, Mann recalled.

Dr Suresh Kumar Gahlawat, Additional Director, Agriculture Department, however, brushed aside the apprehensions and said the temperature was conducive for a good crop.

“Wheat is already in maturity stage and needs a few days of warm weather before harvesting,” he emphasised.

Gahlawat said that the Agriculture Department was rather expecting a bumper crop of wheat this time.