Sow wheat from about 25 October to 25 November in north India, with the best window being 1 to 15 November in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and western UP, and 10 to 20 November in eastern UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Early (late October) sowing is only for long-duration, early-sown varieties; every week of delay after the optimum costs yield (Punjab Agricultural University puts it at roughly 150 kg per acre, or about 370 kg per hectare, per week of delay).
Two numbers matter for this season. The Cabinet approved the wheat MSP for the 2027-28 marketing season on 30 September 2026 at ₹2,610 per quintal, only ₹25 above the ₹2,585 paid for the crop harvested this year, which is the crop you are sowing now. And the 2026 monsoon ended about 13% short with a strong El Niño building, so pre-sowing moisture, sowing date and water scheduling deserve more care than usual (see the season notes below).
Sowing window, seed rate and fertiliser by zone
This is the zone-wise table from the ICAR-IIWBR (Karnal) wheat pocket guide. Seed rate is for irrigated conditions on a seed drill; hand broadcasting and heavy straw need more. Per-acre figures are the per-hectare figures divided by 2.47 and rounded.
| Zone (main states) | Sowing condition | Sowing dates | Seed rate | NPK per hectare (per acre) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWPZ: Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, western UP | Irrigated, timely | 1 to 15 Nov | 100 kg/ha (40 kg/acre) | 150:60:40 (61:24:16) |
| NWPZ | Irrigated, late | After 25 Nov | 125 kg/ha (50 kg/acre) | 120:60:40 (49:24:16) |
| NEPZ: eastern UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal | Irrigated, timely | 10 to 20 Nov | 100 kg/ha (40 kg/acre) | 150:60:40 (61:24:16) |
| NEPZ | Irrigated, late | After 25 Nov | 125 kg/ha (50 kg/acre) | 120:60:40 (49:24:16) |
| CZ: Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Kota and Udaipur divisions of Rajasthan | Irrigated, timely | 10 to 20 Nov | 100 kg/ha (40 kg/acre) | 120:60:40 (49:24:16) |
| CZ | Irrigated, late | 1 to 15 Dec | 125 kg/ha (50 kg/acre) | 90:60:40 (36:24:16) |
| PZ: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu | Irrigated, timely | 1 to 15 Nov | 100 kg/ha (40 kg/acre) | 120:60:40 (49:24:16) |
| PZ | Irrigated, late | Last week of Nov to 1st week of Dec | 125 kg/ha (50 kg/acre) | 90:60:40 (36:24:16) |
| All zones | Rainfed | Depends on rain and stored soil moisture | 125 kg/ha (50 kg/acre) | 60:30:20 (24:12:8), all at sowing |
The director of IIWBR gave the same picture for this belt in November 2025: early-sown varieties from late October to early November, timely varieties from the first to the third week of November, and late varieties from the end of November to mid-December. Wheat grown in rice-wheat or cotton-wheat systems is usually sown late; plan the variety around the date you can realistically sow, not the other way round.
Choosing a variety
Pick a variety released for your zone and your sowing date, and do not put the whole farm under one variety. IIWBR's own review of 2016 to 2025 shows how fast the choice has moved: HD 2967, PBW 550, DBW 17 and HD 3086 dominated the northern plains early in the decade and were replaced by DBW 187, DBW 303, DBW 222 and DBW 327 (DBW 187 alone went past 7 million hectares), while in central and peninsular India GW 322 and Lok 1 gave way to varieties such as HI 1634 and MP 3382. Yellow rust susceptibility is the main reason old varieties get dropped.
| Variety | Where and when it is meant for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DBW 327 (Karan Shivani), DBW 370 / 371 / 372 (Karan Vaidehi, Vrinda, Varuna) | NWPZ, irrigated, early sown (late Oct to early Nov), high fertility | Released 2021 (DBW 327) and 2023 (the three DBW 370 series). Long duration, so they need the early window to finish before heat. |
| DBW 303 (Karan Vaishnavi) | NWPZ and CZ, irrigated, early sown | Released 2021; very fast adoption. |
| DBW 187 (Karan Vandana) | NWPZ and NEPZ, timely and late irrigated, restricted irrigation | Average 22.6 q/acre in PAU trials; matures in about 153 days. |
| DBW 222 (Karan Narendra) | NWPZ and NEPZ, timely sown | Average 22.3 q/acre in PAU trials; moderately susceptible to yellow rust, so watch the crop. Not for sub-mountainous Punjab. |
| PBW 872 (2025), PBW 826 (2022) | Punjab, timely sown irrigated | PAU averages 24.4 and 24.0 q/acre; 152 and 148 days; moderately resistant to yellow and brown rust. |
| PBW 869 | Punjab, sowing with Happy Seeder / Super Seeder after paddy | 23.2 q/acre; use 45 kg seed per acre. |
| DBW 316, DBW 386 | NEPZ (DBW 316 late sown, DBW 386 timely) | Listed by IIWBR for eastern UP, Bihar and neighbouring states. |
| HD 3386 | Named with the early and timely irrigated varieties for the north-western plains by IIWBR's director (Nov 2025) | Check yellow rust reaction with your KVK before choosing it. |
| PBW 771, PBW 752, DBW 771 | Late-sown irrigated (sow late Nov to Dec) | PBW 771 matures in about 133 days and averages 19 q/acre; PBW 752 about 130 days and 19.2 q/acre. DBW 771 is IIWBR's late-sown pick. |
The yields above are PAU's own state-trial averages per acre, which are what a good Punjab farmer can plan on. Yields in the variety-release papers (80 q/ha and more) are potential yields in research trials. For Punjab as a whole the 2023-24 average was 51.7 q/ha (20.9 q/acre). Buy certified or truthfully labelled seed from a state seed corporation or IIWBR's seed portal, and check that the variety is notified for your zone.
Seed treatment and sowing method
- Loose smut, flag smut, Karnal bunt: treat seed one to two days before sowing with carboxin 75 WP at 2.5 g/kg, or carbendazim 50 WP at 2.5 g/kg, or tebuconazole 2 DS at 1.25 g/kg (IIWBR). PAU says do not treat more than a month before sowing because it hurts germination.
- Bio-treatment option: Trichoderma viride at 4 g/kg seed, put on 72 hours before sowing, then the fungicide 24 hours before sowing (IIWBR).
- Termite-prone fields: a seed treatment with thiamethoxam 70 WS at about 1 g per kg seed is the PAU recommendation. Follow the label and your KVK for the chemical currently registered in your state.
- Depth and spacing: 4 to 6 cm deep, 15 to 20 cm between rows; use 15 cm for late sowing (PAU). Calibrate the drill before you start.
- After paddy: a Happy Seeder or Super Seeder sows through combine-harvested paddy straw without burning it. PAU advises 5 kg more seed per acre than conventional sowing (45 kg for most varieties), 55 kg DAP per acre at sowing, and the last paddy irrigation about two weeks before harvest so there is moisture at wheat sowing. IIWBR notes zero-till sowing can advance sowing by 7 to 10 days.
Fertiliser: what to put and when
Use a soil test where you can (the free Soil Health Card report gives crop-wise doses). Without one, follow the table above. IIWBR's schedule is one third of the nitrogen plus all the phosphorus and potash at sowing, and the rest of the nitrogen in two equal parts at the first and second irrigation. For a medium-fertility soil in Punjab, PAU's no-test dose is 55 kg DAP + 90 kg urea per acre (50 kg N and 25 kg P₂O₅; about 135 kg DAP + 220 kg urea per hectare), with the urea split equally at the first and second irrigation. See fertilizer prices and types.
- Zinc: IIWBR recommends zinc sulphate at 25 kg/ha once a year (or 10 kg/ha every crop) in deficient soils; PAU gives 25 kg per acre once every 2 to 3 years. Skip it if you applied zinc to the preceding paddy.
- Manganese (light soils, rice-wheat): if leaves show grey-yellow bands between veins, spray 0.5% manganese sulphate 2 to 4 days before the first irrigation and repeat weekly for three more sprays. Soil application does not pay.
- Do not skip the second nitrogen split if irrigation is delayed: PAU says give it by 50 to 55 days after sowing, and where water stands in the field use a urea spray (7.5%, i.e. 15 kg urea in 200 litres per acre) instead of broadcasting.
- After a legume or after potato: cut nitrogen as PAU advises (for example 80 kg urea per acre after a legume), because the previous crop leaves nitrogen behind.
Irrigation: which irrigations to keep when water is short
A good wheat crop normally gets four to six irrigations (28 to 42 cm of water in total). Crown root initiation (about 21 days after sowing) and flowering are the two stages where moisture stress hurts most. IIWBR's schedule by the number of irrigations you can afford:
| Irrigations available | Give them at (days after sowing, DAS) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Crown root initiation, 21 DAS |
| 2 | 21 DAS and boot stage, 85 DAS |
| 3 | 21 DAS, jointing 65 DAS and milk stage 105 DAS |
| 4 | 21, first node 45, jointing 65 and milk 105 DAS |
| 5 | 21, 45, 65, boot 85 and milk 105 DAS |
| 6 | 21, 45, 65, 85, 105 and dough stage 120 DAS |
On very light soils and uneven land, sprinkler irrigation saves water and avoids waterlogging (see sprinkler irrigation). Bed planting saves about 30% of the water. A pre-sowing irrigation (rauni) is the cheapest insurance in a dry year because it gives uniform germination and a deep wet profile; in rice fields that are still moist at harvest you may not need it.
Weed control, especially Phalaris minor (gulli danda)
The doses below are IIWBR's, given as grams of active ingredient per hectare (divide by 2.47 for an acre, and ask the dealer to convert to the product on the label). The right choice depends on your weed flora and on resistance history.
| Weed type | Active ingredient and dose (g a.i./ha) | When |
|---|---|---|
| Grass weeds (Phalaris minor, wild oat) | Pendimethalin 1,000 to 1,500 | Pre-emergence, 1 to 3 days after sowing |
| Grass weeds | Clodinafop 60, or pinoxaden 40 to 50, or fenoxaprop 100 to 120, or sulfosulfuron 25 | Post-emergence, 30 to 35 days after sowing |
| Broadleaf weeds (bathua, senji, jangli palak) | 2,4-D ester 500, or metsulfuron 4, or carfentrazone 20 | 30 to 35 days after sowing |
| Both together | Sulfosulfuron 25, or sulfosulfuron + metsulfuron mix (30 + 2) | 30 to 35 days after sowing |
Do not tank-mix the grass herbicides (clodinafop, fenoxaprop, pinoxaden) with 2,4-D or metsulfuron, because they work against each other. Where Phalaris minor has already resisted isoproturon, clodinafop and sulfosulfuron, use pre-emergence pendimethalin. PAU also suggests sowing quick-growing varieties from the last week of October to the first week of November in narrower 15 cm rows, and rotating out of wheat for two to three years in the worst fields.
This season: heat, water and what to do about it
Last season was kind: IIWBR's 2025-26 report records favourable weather, maximum temperatures below the terminal-heat thresholds through most of grain filling, and a record national wheat crop of about 120.7 million tonnes from 33.6 million hectares (third advance estimate, average 3,591 kg/ha). Uttar Pradesh grew the most (35.9 million tonnes), followed by Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan.
This year the signals are different. The monsoon ended 13% below normal, but northwest India was only about 6% short and central India about 3%; the large deficits were in the east, northeast and south. The IMD has said El Niño could become strong to very strong by late 2026 or early 2027. Strong El Niño years can bring a warmer winter and an early rise in March temperatures, so it is sensible to plan for terminal heat. IIWBR treats maximum temperature above about 30°C in the north-west and north-east plains during grain filling (35°C in the central and peninsular zones) as terminal heat stress. Practical steps:
- Sow the early-sown varieties early (late October to the first week of November), and the rest within the timely window. Do not push everything to late November.
- Prefer a mix of two or three recommended varieties so that flowering does not all fall in the same week.
- Keep one irrigation in reserve for grain filling (milk stage). IIWBR flags flowering as critical.
- Use balanced fertiliser, including potash on potash-poor soils; do not over-apply nitrogen.
- Watch the weather forecast and use light irrigation when a hot spell is forecast in March.
MSP, insurance and selling
The 2027-28 wheat MSP is ₹2,610/quintal, up ₹25 (about 1%) from ₹2,585. The area-wise cost depends on rent, labour and diesel, so work out your own cost; as a guide to revenue, a Punjab-type yield of 20 quintals per acre sold at MSP gives about ₹52,200 per acre, and 18 quintals gives about ₹46,980 (before your costs). One week of late sowing, at PAU's 1.5 quintals per acre, is worth about ₹3,900 per acre at MSP. Check all MSP rates and live wheat mandi prices. Rabi crop-insurance enrolment under PMFBY normally closes around 31 December (some states close earlier); confirm the date for your state with your bank or CSC before sowing.
Sources
- ICAR-IIWBR, Wheat Cultivation in India: Pocket Guide (zone-wise sowing, seed, fertiliser, irrigation, herbicides)
- Punjab Agricultural University, Package of Practices for Crops of Punjab, Rabi 2025-26
- ICAR-IIWBR Director's Report of AICRP on Wheat and Barley 2025-26 (varietal dynamics, production, weather)
- The Tribune, Fresh furrows ahead as paddy harvest ends (IIWBR director on sowing windows and varieties, 7 Nov 2025)
- ICAR-IIWBR, Technology developed (variety releases and zones)
- ICAR-IIWBR Seed Portal, Wheat varieties
- Business Today, Cabinet clears Rabi MSP hike for 2027-28 (30 Sep 2026)
- Tech Times, India monsoon 2026 ends with worst deficit in over a decade (IMD figures)
- Skymet Weather, Monsoon 2026: curtains drawn