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Model
Farming / Wheat
Planning for better yield
The wheat is sown the world over
on an area touching 220 million hectares producing 600 million
tons with an average of 2700 kg. of grain per hectare.
The Main land China brings 30 million hectares the largest are
in the world followed by Russian Federation, India, USA,
Australia, Canada, Turkey and Pakistan.
As far as the highest yield is concerned, France produces 7200
kg per hectare. Who leads other countries because it has much
longer growing season of winter wheat? It is rather more
appropriate to compare our wheat grain yields with countries
of similar climatic and eco-zones, like Mexico and Egypt.
Their yields are much higher owing both genetic constitution
of cultivars and environment provided to them to express their
biological potential.
Since Mexico and Pakistan are located in analogous ecological
zones therefore, introduction of Mexican varieties in the
country in sixties verities in the country in sixties ushered
an era of green revolution. But unfortunately the pace of
development could not be maintained for long and we now lag
much behind the Mexican yields, who have gone for ahead of us
producing 3900 Kg. of wheat grain per hectare as compared to
2491 K. for us in the year 1999, the best season. According to
FAO statistics for 1995, among spring wheat growing countries
Egypt has fantastic yield by producing 5422 kg. of grain per
hectare where as Indian Punjab producing 4090 kg. and even
India leads us in average yield by producing 2559 kg.
notwithstanding three times largest area as compared to ours.
In our country wheat is cultivated largely (80 per cent), in
irrigated areas whereas, rest in rain-fed. The yield and
production in latter part of the country is predominantly
controlled by rains during growing season, which usually are
erratic. Hence yields are much lower during season of low
precipitation.
There are of course three kinds of wheat cultivars, the long
duration, the medium and short duration varieties. The wheat
yields usually start declining after 20th Nov sowing at the
rate of 20 kg per day.
Hence efforts must be made to plant it at optimum time. In
cotton areas the sticks are by and large used as fuel in
domestic house hold. Big heaps of cotton sticks can be seen
along the roadside and in villages.
There is a great need to educate growers as to how much yield
is last due to burning of sticks. So as to restores the soil
fertility at least 80 per cent sticks may be buried in soil.
In order to enhance the decomposition half a bag of urea per
acre may be incorporated in the soil after the stick burial.
In view of numerous benefits through the addition of organic
matter from cotton sticks, may be made mandatory for each
farmer. In case wheat sowing is delayed owing to late maturity
of cotton, wheat may be sown in standing crop, if there is low
or no incidence of weeds. However in rice tract wheat should
be sown on proper time immediately after crop harvest. In rice
zone a sizable area must be brought under this season legumes,
the chickpeas and lentils. It is of course not so difficult to
reap their yields up to 1000 kg per acre, which will bring
more finances to the growers as compared to raising wheat.
Adequate quantity of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash may be
applied to harvest maximum grain. If phosphorus is added
adequately it will not only help to realize good harvest, the
following crop of cotton shall utilize the remaining residual
phosphorus, without adding more of this element to cotton.
In my opinion there are three main factors, which largely
contribute towards low wheat yields, the optimum time of
sowing, prevalence of high intensity of weeds, imbalance use
of fertilizer. The low level of organic matter is also
important for holding the yield. In irrigated areas the crop
is generally sown either after the harvest of cotton or paddy.
In most of the cases it is customary that farmers neither add
organic matter nor farmyard manure to maintain fertility, thus
resulting in low yields. In order to sow wheat at optimum time
the cotton breeders in collaboration with cotton agronomists
must try to reduce the life span of cotton crop without
hampering the yield and deteriorating the quality of lint. In
this way not only have substantial saving on the management of
cotton but also timely sowing of wheat to realize maximum
yields. As far as weeds are concerned it is estimated that
decline in wheat yield ranges from 15 to 40 per cent or even
more in some cases, which is indeed a great loss towards food
self-sufficiency.
As my experience goes tit is much worst in certain localities
where it appears as if wheat is an unwarted and obnoxious
plant. It is in fact a glaring negligence on the part of
extension workers and the grower himself.
The extension workers with the help of farmers may try to
delineate the areas of high infestation of "Dumbi Sitti" and
wild oats.
The farmers in such areas may be advised to control them
through agronomic practices or herbicide treatment or removing
the weed plants just after earring because at that stage it is
easy to differentiate between both the weed and wheat plants.
If these weeds are not controlled now they will spread like a
wild fire in coming years in whole of wheat areas. Thee weeds
have capability to produce large quantities of seed, which is
always shed before wheat harvest. Henceforth infestation
increases at an alarming pace. These two weeds along with "It
Sit" can be used as biological warfare in agriculture. On the
other hand in barani areas "Pohalli" is quite a common weed,
which can be easily seen while travelling by air, road or rail
after the harvest of wheat.
The abundance of this weed undoubtedly is a main factor for
low yield in the area. The Pohalli remain green much after
harvest of crop. At that time it is an appropriate time to
launch a campaign to eradicate it by uprooting and burning.
Two or three exercise will help to whip out the weed in barani
areas. Henceforth this year may be declared a Pohalli
eradication year. The road sides and sides of rail tracks may
also be cleared of it.
The pace of yield increase per hectare during past twenty
years has been awfully poor rather frustrating since 1980 to
01. The population growth however, over whelmed the increase
in yield per unit area therefore; the enlarged demand of wheat
consumption was met by bringing more area under crop.
Which certainly is not a good omen. But for how long increase
in area under crop shall come to our rescue. This problem has
to be tackled through serious and wise planning and execution.
First of all we shall have to get rid of non-technocrats from
lowest level to highest in the ministry of food, agriculture
and livestock and induct able selfless agricultural scientists
but not the pseudo ones. More funds have to be infused for
research and transfer of technology. At the same time we must
motivate the general public to diversify the so-called dietary
pattern, is greatly imbalanced, which required to be
substituted by balanced through intake of nutritive food, so
as to reduce unnecessary burden on wheat. Besides this we must
substantially boost yield per unit area. Thus placing this
area under oil seeds, vegetables, fruits, pulses, and flowers.
Also considerable area may be brought under fodder to raise
ore animals for milk and meat production. Last but not the
least we ought to arrest population growth.
With the improvement in agronomic practices we must try to
equate with Egyptian or across the Punjab wheat yields in less
than three or at the most five years.
Storage facilities: There are many stored grain pests, which
destroy a considerable quantity of produce while in store in
villages. Efforts may be made to eliminate the losses. If
these losses are controlled it is possible that we may not
have to import food grains any longer.
Courtesy Daily Dawn, 10
December 2001
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