How to grow wheat: sowing, irrigation and harvest

Before sowing: know which crop and which field

Begin with the intended use, locally suitable variety and available water. Indian wheat recommendations vary by production zone and by timely, late or rainfed sowing. A November date from one zone is not a national deadline. Check the current district recommendation with the local KVK or state agricultural service before choosing the sowing window. Rabi names the season in which we grow the crop. Check the seed’s growth habit separately. [1, 2]

Keep the seed lot label, origin and germination result. Separate seed intended for planting from grain intended for food, and ask about locally appropriate seed health measures before sowing. Record the previous crop, residual moisture, known weeds and recent inputs. A soil test belongs beside that history: colour alone cannot show what nutrients the next crop needs.

Prepare for emergence and for water movement

Walk the field before machinery enters. Mark low areas, compacted traffic lines, heavy residues and the route by which irrigation enters and leaves. The aim is a sowing surface that allows consistent placement and seed contact without trapping water. TNAU’s field guidance emphasises seed placement, avoiding excessive depth, irrigation channels and soil-test-based nutrition; its exact tillage sequence is regional guidance rather than a requirement for every field. [3]

If soil smears and ruts under traffic, reassess readiness before cultivating. If the surface is dry, inspect below it before deciding that pre-sowing irrigation is needed. Residue-covered ground may need suitable drilling equipment rather than repeated passes. Check the drill’s outlets before starting, then uncover seed along several rows after the first short run. Compare depth, distribution and coverage; correcting a blocked outlet then is easier than explaining an empty strip later. Record the actual sowing date and method for each field, apart from repair or purchase dates.

Use the drill manufacturer’s safe calibration procedure. Stop, secure and isolate the machine before manual inspection, adjustment or approaching the tested strip. Keep clear of moving parts while the metering mechanism operates. [8]

Read the stand before trying to improve it

Once rows are visible, choose repeatable observation points across normal ground, wet hollows and field edges. Count plants along equal row lengths, photograph the same scale and record whether gaps follow the machine or the terrain. Carefully uncover a few missing positions: was seed absent, present but ungerminated, or did a seedling fail to reach the surface?

Additional basal shoots are tillers, not newly emerged plants. Keep the initial plant count distinct from later shoot counts. Wheat proceeds from establishment and tillering to stem extension, heading, flowering and grain filling; recognising those changes makes a work record more useful than a date alone. [2] Before filling gaps or adding fertiliser, ask whether the original cause persists. Return after emergence has had time to progress under the actual conditions, using the same points and recording what changed.

Water: crop stage and ground condition together

Crown-root initiation is the early establishment of roots from the crown near the plant base. Indian guidance identifies this and flowering as important water-sensitive periods. Later stem growth and grain filling also require attention. Stage identifies when a shortage matters; it does not prove the soil is short. TNAU warns against stagnant water at germination. Do not transplant its days-after-sowing schedule to a different variety or climate. [4]

Inspect moisture below the surface at several representative positions, consider recent rain and the forecast, and verify that water will reach the far end without leaving the inlet submerged. After irrigating, walk the distribution pattern when access is suitable. Record dry ends and persistent pools separately. If only one patch is pale, compare it with healthy ground before watering the entire field. The farm’s irrigation equipment records and later drainage labour illustrate why supply capacity and drainage both belong in the plan.

Keep separate questions separate

Before top-dressing, put the nutrient plan beside moisture, plant stage and previous applications. A pale crop asks for investigation: note whether symptoms follow low ground, old wheel tracks or the whole field, and which leaves changed first. Photograph a normal comparison. Seek a field assessment or tissue/soil testing when needed rather than diagnosing a deficiency from one photograph.

Identify weeds while they are small enough to manage and check the result after removal or an advised treatment. In mixed stands, crop safety matters as much as weed control. For insects or leaf marks, record the affected area, active pests, beneficial insects and whether symptoms are spreading. Ask for a diagnosis and an appropriate current local threshold before deciding on a spray. Record what was applied and check the crop afterwards. Our accounts mention a “wheat blight spray”, but we have not confirmed the disease or product. [1]

Follow the head as well as the canopy

As stems extend and heads emerge, record stage across the field rather than choosing the earliest head. After flowering, kernels pass through milk and dough towards hard grain. Sample several positions and keep the wetter or later part visible in the notes. [2]

After a storm or a fall, compare upright and lodged plants. Is the bend in the stem, or does the plant lean from its base? Record the pattern before disturbing it. Dense stands and excessive nitrogen can increase lodging risk, but a fallen patch does not establish that either caused this event. [5] Return to both lodged and standing portions as harvest approaches; their condition and access for cutting may differ. Do not describe the area fallen as an equal percentage of grain lost.

Harvest readiness is the start of handling

Check representative heads for hardening grain and drying straw, then match the decision to the harvest method, weather and ability to dry the crop. TNAU uses hard grain and dry, brittle straw as field signs. A combine and a hand-cut bundle do not need identical handling; do not put newly cut or damp grain straight into closed storage. [4]

Keep loads identifiable. Measure weights and record the field area before calculating yield: a trolley count or a pile is insufficient. Inspect a short machine run for unthreshed heads, lost kernels and damage with the operator. Ordinary free-threshing wheat releases kernels during threshing; emmer usually retains its hull. Clean, dry and sample the grain after harvest. IIWBR’s pocket guide gives below 12% moisture for wheat storage, a benchmark to confirm for the intended duration and storage conditions, not a claim that a hard kernel is dry enough. [1]

Use an appropriate calibrated moisture method and representative samples. After drying, allow the lot to settle and recheck before closing it away. Inspect the store and grain regularly for dampness, heating, insects and changing smell, and after rain or a leak. Keep a suspect lot separate while its condition is assessed. FAO’s storage guidance treats inspection and records as continuing work. [6] The grain-handling article follows that next stage.