21th February 2023 (9 Topics)
Panel to assess impact of higher temperatures on Wheat Crop
Context
India has set up a panel of officials to assess the impact of rising temperatures on the wheat crop, as the weather office warned that above-normal temperatures would prevail in key producing states.
About
About the Committee
- India's agriculture commissioner will head the committee, and officials from the country's key wheat-growing states and government scientists will also be on the panel.
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Important facts about the Crop
- Wheat is the main cereal crop in India. In recent years, a major increase in the productivity of wheat has been observed in the states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
- Climatic requirement: Tropical and sub-tropical zones, temperate zone and the cold tracts (far north)
- Soil: Soils with a clay loam or loam texture, good structure and moderate water-holding capacity are ideal for wheat cultivation.
Indian Wheat Growing Zones
The entire wheat growing areas of the country has been categorized into 6 major zones as follows
|
Zones |
States/Regions Covered |
|
Northern Hill Zone(NHZ) |
Hilly areas of J&K( except Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts), Himachal Pradesh ( except Una &Paonta valley),Uttarakhand(excluding Tarai region) & Sikkim |
|
North Western Plains Zone(NWPZ) |
Punjab, Haryana, Western UP(except Jhansi Div), Rajasthan (excluding Kota & Udaipur div), Delhi, Tarai region of Uttarakhand, Una &Paonta valley of HP, Jammu, Samba&Kathua districts of J&K and Chandigarh. |
|
North Eastern Plains Zone(NEPZ) |
Eastern UP(28 dist), Bihar, Jharkhand, WestBengal, Assam, Odisha and other NE states (except Sikkim) |
|
Central Zone |
MP, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Kota& Udaipur Div of Rajasthan & Jhansi Div of UP. |
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Peninsular Zone |
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu(except Nilgiris&Palani Hills),Karnataka & Andhra Pradesh |
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Southern Hill Zone(SHZ) |
Nilgiris&Palani Hills of Tamil Nadu |
Why higher temperature is a concern for the crop?
- The optimum temperature range for ideal germination of wheat seed is 20-25 C though the seeds can germinate in the temperature range of 3.5 to 35 c.
- Areas with a warm and damp climate are not suited for wheat growing.
- This higher day temperature might lead to adverse effects on wheat approaching the reproductive growth period, which is sensitive to temperature.
- High temperature during flowering and maturing periods leads to a loss in yield.
- The country grows only one wheat crop in a year, with planting in October and November and harvesting from March.
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