Indian Institute of Wheat & Barley Research Warns Damage to Wheat Crop by Heat

Indian Institute of Wheat & Barley Research (IIWBR) has warned that wheat crops could get damaged due to high temperatures this month.

The farmers were advised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR-IIWBR) to keep a regular check for yellow rust disease in their crops.

The advisory suggested the farmers to use light irrigation and sprinkle potassium on the wheat plant in case of a sudden spike in temperature to minimize damage. However, if there is a high wind, it is best to stop watering the plants because doing so could cause the product to fall and cause further damage.

“In the areas where wheat is grown, the temperature is rising sporadically and has been doing so for the past two to three days. We have issued an advisory in advance to prevent any harm," ICAR-IIWBR director Gyanendra Singh stated. “In case of a spike in temperature, farmers who have the facility of spray irrigation can irrigate their field with a sprinkler for 30 minutes in the afternoon," he added.

The ministry predicted a record wheat production of 112.18 million tonnes this season, up 5% from last year, in its second advance forecast.

Due to a strong heat wave in 2022, India produced 106.84 million tonnes less wheat than it did in 2021 (109.59 million tonnes). Wheat is harvested in April and is mainly grown in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

The majority of Indian wheat is a soft/medium hard, medium protein, white bread wheat, slightly resembling hard white wheat from the United States. Hard, high-protein and high-gluten wheat is mainly grown in central and western India. Around 1.0–1.2 million tonnes of durum wheat is also produced in India, primarily in Madhya Pradesh.