🌾 Wheat — Production Technology
Production technology of wheat covering climate, varieties, sowing, nutrient management, irrigation, and practical yield-oriented field operations.
Wheat is the principal Rabi cereal in India and a core exam topic because management decisions at each stage directly affect productivity and grain quality. This lesson compiles practical wheat production recommendations from sowing to yield.
Importance
Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the second most important food grain in India after rice. India is the second largest producer globally.
- Area: ~31 million ha
- Production: ~110 million tonnes
- Productivity: ~3.5 tonnes/ha
Climate and Soil Requirements
- Temperature: 20–25°C during vegetative, 15–20°C during grain filling
- Rainfall: 75–100 cm during growing season
- Soil: Well-drained loamy to clay loam, pH 6.0–7.5
- Sensitive to: Terminal heat stress (>30°C during grain filling)
Improved Varieties
| Zone | Varieties | Features |
|---|---|---|
| NWPZ | HD 3226, DBW 187, WH 1270 | High yield, rust resistant |
| NEPZ | HD 2967, NW 5054, DBW 39 | Good tillering, disease resistant |
| CZ | HI 1605, GW 322, LOK-1 | Heat tolerant, drought tolerant |
| PZ | MACS 6222, HD 3059 | Short duration, rust resistant |
Agronomic Practices
Land Preparation
- One deep ploughing + 2–3 harrowing + planking
- Laser leveling recommended for uniform irrigation
- Incorporation of previous crop residue
Sowing
- Time: November 1–25 (timely sown), December 1–25 (late sown)
- Seed rate: 100 kg/ha (timely), 125 kg/ha (late sown)
- Row spacing: 20–22.5 cm
- Depth: 5–6 cm
- Seed treatment: Carboxin + Thiram (2+1 g/kg) OR Trichoderma viride (4 g/kg)
Nutrient Management
- Recommended dose: 120-60-40 kg N-P₂O₅-K₂O/ha (irrigated, timely sown)
- Full P, K, and half N at sowing; remaining N as top-dress at first irrigation (CRI stage)
- For late sown: 80-40-30 kg N-P₂O₅-K₂O/ha
- Zinc sulphate: 25 kg/ha if Zn deficient
Irrigation
- Critical stages: CRI (Crown Root Initiation — 21 DAS), tillering, jointing, flowering, milk, dough
- Total irrigations: 4–6 depending on soil type and rainfall
- Water requirement: 400–500 mm
Yield: 40–55 q/ha (irrigated), 15–25 q/ha (rainfed)
Summary Cheat Sheet
| Topic | Key point |
|---|---|
| Crop importance | Wheat is India’s major Rabi cereal by area and production |
| Sowing window | Timely sowing in November is critical for higher yield |
| Nutrition | Split N with full basal P and K is standard practice |
| Irrigation | CRI stage irrigation is most critical in wheat |
| Yield range | Irrigated yield is substantially higher than rainfed yield |
References
3 sources
References
ICAR wheat production package of practices.
AICRP wheat varietal recommendations by zone.
State agriculture department wheat agronomy advisories.
Lesson Doubts
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