WHEAT (KANAK/GEHU)

Wheat is important a cereal grain next to rice and important staple food of India. It is rich source of protein, vitamin and fiber. In India, it is mainly grown in Rabi (winter) season. Its three species, namely T. aestivum, T. durum and T. dicoccum are cultivated in the country. India is the fourth largest producer of wheat in the world and accounts for 8.7 per cent of the world’s total production. In India, Uttar Pradesh is major wheat producing state with largest area under its cultivation. It is major contributor in national production. Along with UP, Haryana and Punjab are major wheat growing states. Hardoi, Bahraich, Kheri, Etawah, Gonda, Basti, Moradabad, Rampur, Budaun, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut are the main wheat producing areas of UP. Productivity of Uttar Pradesh is low due to declining water-table, imbalanced fertilizer etc.

It is grown in variety of soils of India. Soils with a clay loam or loam texture, good structure and moderate water holding capacity are ideal for wheat cultivation. Very poros and soil having less water holding capacity are not suitable for wheat cultivation. Under dry condition, heavy soil with good drainage are suitable for cultivation. Heavy soils with poor structure and poor drainage are not suitable as wheat is sensitive to water logging.

WH 896: Recommended for timely sown areas under irrigated conditions.

PBW 373: High yielding variety recommended for late sown area under irrigated conditions. It is resistant to various diseases.

PBW 343: Suitable for irrigated and late sown areas. Ready to harvest in 130-135days. It is resistant to lodging, water logging conditions. It is also resistant to karnal bunt and tolerant to blight. It gives average yield of 19qtl/acre.

HD 2643: Suitable for irrigated and late sown areas. Possess good chapati making quality. Resistance to leaf & stripe rusts and tolerant to karnal bunt

UP 2425: Recommended for late sown area under irrigated conditions.

PBW-443: Recommended for timely sown areas under irrigated conditions.

DBW-14: Recommended for late sown area under irrigated conditions. Early maturing variety. Grains are hard.

NW-2036: Suitable for late sown area under irrigated conditions. Early maturity variety i.e ready to harvest in 108 days. Grains are small, amber, and semi-hard.

MACS-6145: Suitable for rainfed and timely sown conditions. 

HD-2824: Suitable for timely sown, irrigated condition.

PBW-524: Suitable for late sown areas with irrigation facility. It gives resistance to leaf & Stripe rusts.

PBW-502: Developed by Punjab Agricultural University. Suitable for timely sown irrigated conditions. It is resistant to leaf rust and stripe rust.

PDW-291: Suitable for timely sown, irrigated condition. It gives resistance to rusts, karnal bunt, loose smut, flag smut & head scab diseases.

PBW-524: Suitable for late sown and irrigated areas. It gives resistance to rusts, karnal bunt and loose smut.

HD-2864: Suitable for timely sown, irrigated condition. It gives resistance to leaf and stripe rusts and heat tolerance.

HI-8627: Suitable for timely sown and rainfed conditions. It gives resistance to stripe rusts and foot rot.

Ujiar(K-9006): Suitable for timely sown and irrigated conditions. Grains are semi hard and amber. It gives resistant to karnal bunt.

Gangotri(K-9162): Early maturing variety suitable for late sown irrigated conditions. 

Prasad (K-8434): Suitable for timely sown, irrigated condition under saline/alkaline soil. Early maturing variety, ready to harvest in 115days. Grains are semi hard, amber. Tolerant to leaf blight, karnal bunt, smut disease.

Halna (K-7903): Suitable for Late and very late sown conditions under irrigated conditions. Suitable for saline as well as alkaline soil. Grains are amber, semi hard. It is resistant to all type of rust. Also it is tolerant to leaf blight, karnal bunt.

Naina (K-9533): Suitable for late sown and irrigated conditions. Seeds are amber color and semi-hard. It is resistant to all type of rust. Also it is tolerant to leaf blight, karnal bunt.  

UP 2338: Suitable for timely and late sowing. Grains are bold and hard. Gives average yield of 23qtl/acre.

Other state varieties:

PDW314: Suitable for Timely sown, irrigated condition.

WHD943(Durum): Suitable for Timely sown, irrigated condition.

HI 1563(Pusa Prachi): Suitable for late sown, irrigated condition.

MPO-1225: Suitable for Timely sown, irrigated condition.

WH 416: Suitable for early and timely sowing. Suitable for low fertile but irrigated lands. Grains are long, medium in size with amber color. Resistant to brown rust but susceptible to yellow rust. Gives average yield of 22qtl/acre.

WH 283: Suitable for timely sowing areas. Grains are medium, hard and having shiny amber color. Resistant to brown and yellow rust. Gives average yield of 20qtl/acre.

WH 147: Suitable for timely sowing, low fertile and irrigated lands. Grains are medium, soft and having shiny amber color. Resistant to brown rust and kernal blunt diease. Gives average yield of 20qtl/acre.

WH 157: Suitable for timely sowing, fertile and irrigated lands. Grains are bigger, hard and having color. Gives average yield of 19qtl/acre.

Kalyansona: A double dwarf wheat with wide adaptation recommended for cultivation all over India. This variety is very vulnerable to rust. It is, therefore, advisable to grow it only in rust free regions.

UP-(368): High yielding variety developed by Pantnagar. It is resistant to rust and Karnal bunt.

WL-(711): It is single dwarf, high yielding and medium maturing variety. It is moderately susceptible to powdery mildew and Karnal bunt.

UP-(319): It is triple dwarf wheat with high level of rust resistance. To avoid losses to shattering, it should be harvested at appropriate time.
 

Wheat crop requires a well pulverized but compact seed-bed for good and uniform germination. After harvest of previous crop, the field should be ploughed with disc or mould board plough. Take one deep ploughing followed by two or three harrowing with disc harrow and 2-3 planking should be given to prepare a well pulverized seed bed. For good germination, apply pre-sowing irrigation 7-10days before sowing. Carried out ploughing in evening time and kept furrow open whole night to absorb some moisture from dew. Planking should be done after each ploughing early in the morning.

In rain-fed areas, to protect crop from termite attacked, treat seeds with Chlorpyriphos 20EC@700ml per 100 kg of seed by mixing in 5 litres of water. After then dry seeds in shade.

Time of sowing
For western UP, for irrigated and normal sowing condition, complete sowing from 1st November to 15th November and in late sowing conditions, complete sowing from 1st to 25th December.
 
For Eastern U.P, complete sowing from 1st November to 15th November for Irrigated and normal sowing areas.
Whereas for late sowing complete sowing from 1st to 20th December.

For Higher Hilly areas, 2nd Fortnight of October to 1st Fortnight of November is optimum time for normal sowing and irrigated areas whereas for late sowing complete sowing from 1st to 20th December.

For lower hills, for Irrigated conditions and normal sowing complete sowing from last week of October to middle of November whereas for late sowing complete sowing in second fortnight of November.

Spacing
For normal sown crop a spacing of 20 - 22.5 cm between rows is recommended. When sowing is delayed a closer spacing of 15-18 cm should be adopted.

Sowing Depth
For tall varieties use sowing depth of 6-7cm where as for other varieties use sowing depth of 5-6cm.

Method of sowing
sowing can be done manually by
1.Seed drill
2.Broadcasting method

Seed Rate
For small grain size varieties, use seed rate of 40 and for bold seeded variety use seed rate of 50kg per acre. In case late sowing use seed rate of 60kg/acre. The seed should be cleaned and graded thoroughly before sowing.

Seed Treatment
To protect seeds from Termite, false smut, loose smut treat seeds with Chlorpyriphos@4ml/kg of seeds or Tebuconazole 2 DS@1.5-1.87gm/kg seed.or with Carbendazim or Thiram@2gm/kg of seeds 24 hours before sowing. After chemical treatment treat seed with Trichoderma viride 1.15 % WP@4gm/kg of seeds.

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

Apply fertilizer depending upon soil test. With the help of soil test we can give fertilizer dose as per soil requirement.

1) For irrigated areas, apply N:P:K@60:24:12kg/acre in the form of Urea@130kg, SSP@150kg and MOP@20kg/acre. Apply half dose of Nitrogen and Full dose of P and K at time of sowing. Apply remaining amount of nitrogen at time of first irrigation.

2) For rainfed areas, use N:P:K@24:12:8kg/acre in form of Urea@52kg, SSP@75kg/acre and MoP@15kg/acre. Apply whole amount of N, P and K at time of sowing.

3) For Irrigated late sown areas, apply N:P:K@50:12:16kg/acre in form of Urea@110kg, SSP@75kg/acre and MoP@27kg/acre. Apply 1/3rd amount of nitrogen and full dose of P & K at time sowing. Apply remaining amount of Nitrogen i.e 2/3rd of Nitrogen, 35-40days after sowing.   

Application of zinc Sulphate@10kg/acre was found to increase the yield substantially. Zinc deficiency can also be corrected by foliar spray of 0.5% zinc sulphate. Take two to three sprays at 15-day intervals.

For better tillering and yield, spray 19:19:19 water soluble fertilizer@ 5gm + Sticker @ 0.5ml/Ltr water after 30 days of sowing.

Cultural and Preventive: Cultural practices such as time and method of sowing, crop density and geometry, crop varieties, dose, method and time of fertilizer application, time and method of irrigation have pronounced effect on crop-weed interference. Use clean wheat seed that is free from weed seeds.Pull out weeds before seed setting. Keep irrigation channels free from weeds.

Chemical weed control: Preferred because of less labor requirment and no mechanical damage during manual weeding. As pre-emergence, apply Pendimethalin(Stomp 30EC)@1320ml/acre at 0-3 days after sowing in 200liters of water/acre.

Broad leaf weeds control: Apply 2-4,D@ 0.2-0.4Kg/acre, 25-30 days after sowing. after the crop has received its first irrigation at CRI stage. Fluroxypur@0.08-0.24kg/acre is a good alternative to 2,4-D for controlling broad leaf weeds.
Spray the herbicides, both pre and post emergence, when there is sufficient moisture in the soil. Spray on clear and sunny days.
If mixed weeds is a problem, at 30-35 days, spray 160gm Clodinafop-propargyl+metsulfuron-methyl ready mix +500ml surfectant/200Ltr water/acre.

The number of irrigations required will very depending upon soil type, water availabilty etc. Crown root initiation and heading stages are the most critical to moisture stress. For dwarf high yielding varieties, give pre sowing irrigation. Four to six irrigations are enough for wheat crop. First irrigation should be given 20-25days after sowing. This is crown root initiation stage and moisture stress at this stage will lead to yield loss. In cooler regions like hilly tracts and in late sown wheat ,it is desirable to apply 1s irrigation approximately 25-30 DAS. At tillering stage within 40-45days after sowing, apply second irrigation. Third irrigation within 70-75DAS at late jointing stage. At flowering stage (within 90-95days) give fourth irrigation. Fifth irrigation at dough stage (within 110-115DAS).
Under limited water supply apply irrigation only at crtical stage. When water is available for only one irrigation then apply at crown root initiation stage. When two irrigations are available then apply at crown root initiation and flowering stage. Where three  irrigations  are  a possible, 1st irrigation should be given at CRI stage and 2nd at late jointing (boot) and 3rd at milking stage. CRI stage is most important stage for irrigation. It has been found that each week delay in 1st irrigation from CRI stage results in yield reduction of 80-120kg per acre.

• Pest and their control:
  

Aphids: These are nearly transparent, soft-bodied sucking insects. When present in sufficient numbers, aphids can cause yellowing and premature death of leaves. Infestation usually occurs during second fortnight of January till crop harvesting.

For management of Aphid, use chrysoperla predators 5-8 thousand/acre or use 50 ml/ Ltr neem concentrate. In cloudy weather infestation of aphid is occurred. Spray with Thiamethoxam@80gm or Imidacloprid 40-60ml/ acre in 100 Ltr of water.
 

Termite: Termites attack the crop at various growth stages, from seedlings to maturity. The severely damaged plants can be easily uprooted and look wilted and dried. In case roots are partially damaged, the plants show yellowing. To control broadcast 1 Ltr of Chlorpyriphos 20 EC mix with 20 kg sand/acre then applies a light irrigation.

• Diseases and their control:
  

Flag smut: It is seed borne disease. Infection spread through wind. It is favored by cool, humid conditions during flowering period of the host plant. Treat the seed with fungicides like carboxyl (Vitavax 75 WP @ 2.5 gm/kg of seeds), Carbendazim(Bavistin 50 WP)@2.5 gm/kg seed), Tebuconazole(Raxil 2 DS)@1.25 gm/kg of seed) if the disease level in the seed lot is high. If it is low to moderate, treat the seed with a combination of Trichoderma viride@4 gm/kg seed) and half the recommended dose of Carboxin(Vitavax 75 WP)@1.25 gm/kg seed.

Powdery mildew: Grayish white powdery growth appears on the leaf, sheath, stem and floral parts. Powdery growth later become black lesion and cause drying of leaves and other parts. When incidence of disease is observed, spray with wettable sulphur@2 gm/ Ltr of water or Carbendazim @400gm/acre. In case of high incidence, spray with Propiconazole@2 ml/ Ltr of water.

Brown rust: It is favored by warm temperatures (15-30° C) and humid conditions. Brown rust is characterized by reddish- brown spores that occur in oval or elongated pustules. The disease can develop rapidly when free moisture is available and temperatures are near 20° C. Successive generations of urediospores can be produced every 10-14 days if conditions are favorable.

For control of this disease, follow mixed cropping with suitable crops. Avoid excessive use of Nitrogen fertilizer. Spray Zineb Z-78@400 gm/acre or Propiconazole@2ml/Litre of water.

Karnal bunt: It is seed and soil borne disease. Infection occurs at flowering stage. Cloudy weather condition during spike emergence to grain filling stage of crop leads to development of disease. If the rains occur during the month of February in north Indian plains (disease-prone areas), the disease is likely to come with higher severity.

For control of this disease use karnal bunt resistant varieties. For management of this disease, take one spray of Propiconazole (Tilt 25 EC) @2ml/ Ltr of water at ear head emergence stage.

Stripe/Yellow rust: The ideal growth conditions for yellow rust are temperatures of between 8-13° C for spore germination and penetration, and 12-15° C for further development and with free water. The yield penalties from yellow rust in wheat can range from 5% to as high as 30% in high disease pressure scenarios. The pustules of stripe rust, which, contain yellow to orange-yellow urediospores, usually form narrow stripes on the leaves.

For control of this disease, use rust resistant variety. Follow crop rotation and adopt mix cropping pattern. Avoid excess use of Nitrogen. When symptom observed, do dusting of Sulphur @5-10 kg/acre or take spray of Mancozeb @ 2 gm/Ltr or spray the crop with Propiconazole (Tilt) 25 EC @2 ml / litre of water.

Harvesting of high yielding dwarf variety is carried out when leaves and stem turn yellow and become fairly dry. To avoid loss in yield crop should be harvested before it is dead ripe. Timely harvesting is needed for optimum quality and consumer acceptance. The right stage for harvesting is when moisture in grain reaches to 25-30%. For manual harvesting use serrate edge sickles. Combines harvester are also available which can do harvesting,threshing and winnowing of wheat crop in single operation.

After manual harvesting, dried crops for three to four days on threshing floor so that moisture content of grain comes down to 10-12 percent and then threshing is done by trampling bullocks or thresher attached to bullocks.Direct sun drying and excessive drying should be avoided and the grains should be packed in sound clean gunny bags to minimize the losses.

Improve storage structures: For storage of grains on small-scale use PAU bin, Pusa bin and Hapur tekka. The PAU bin is designed by Punjab Agricultural University it is galvanized metal iron structure having capacity ranges from 1.5 to 15 quintals. Pusa bin storage structure is made of mud or bricks with a polythene film embedded within the walls. While the Hapur tekka is a cylindrical rubberized cloth structure supported by bamboo poles on a metal tube base, and has a small hole in the bottom through which grain can be removed. Large scale grain storage is done in CAP (Cover and Plinth) and silos.

To keep away several pest and disease during storage, use 1% malathion solution for disinfection of gunny bags. Properly clean the storage house, remove the cracks and fill the rat burrows with cement. White wash the storage house before storing grains and spray Malathion 50EC@3Ltr/100 Sq.meters.Place the heap of bags 50 cm away from wall and in between the heaps give some gaps. Also there should be a gap between the roof and the bags.