Comprehensive Recommendations for Wheat
Certified & Quality Seeds varieties, sowing, seed treatment, nutrition, irrigation and disease control.
Certified varieties DBW-187, DBW-222, DBW-303, DBW-327, DBW-372, HD-2851, HD-2967, HD-3086, PBW-343 (Unnat), PBW-826, PBW-502, Raj-3077, Raj-3765, Raj-4037, Raj-1482, C-306, WH-147, WH-283, WH-711, WH-1105, WH-1270. Quality Seeds varieties Surya, Surya-007, Fortune-1001. Soil and climate Wheat prefers medium loam with good drainage. Saline, alkali and waterlogged soils are unsuitable. It grows from low to moderately high rainfall regions. Land preparation Ensure good moisture and a friable tilth. Start with a mouldboard plough, follow with 3–4 disc harrow passes, and plank after final tillage. Level the field so water does not stagnate. Seed rate About 100 kg/ha for timely sowing; increase by ~25% for late sowing. For broadcast methods, use higher seed rates in late plantings. Seed treatment Treat seed with 2 g Vitavax (or equivalent) per kg seed against Karnal bunt and smut diseases. Sowing time Rainfed belts — late October to early November. Irrigated — up to the third week of November. Late sowing can continue into the third week of December. Sowing method Use seed-cum-fertilizer drill in irrigated areas and pora in rainfed areas. Row spacing about 20 cm for timely sowing and 18 cm for late sowing; seed depth 5–6 cm. Fertilizer For irrigated dwarf types, about 130 kg urea + 150 kg SSP + 20 kg MOP per acre is a common guide. Apply half nitrogen with full P, K and zinc at sowing; top-dress remaining nitrogen at first irrigation. Irrigation Typically 5–6 irrigations. Give the first irrigation about three weeks after sowing, then every 20–25 days as needed. Weed control Broadleaf weeds — metsulfuron or carfentrazone around 35 DAS. Grasses — clodinafop, fenoxaprop or sulfosulfuron as recommended. Use tank mixes carefully on moist soil for mixed weed flora. Diseases and pests Yellow/stripe rust, brown/leaf rust, black/stem rust, smuts, Karnal bunt, powdery mildew and nematodes can cause heavy loss. Spray propiconazole for yellow rust at first symptoms; use zineb/mancozeb programmes for brown and black rust as needed. Manage insects along with disease control for full crop protection.