Lodging (crop falling over) reduces yield and makes harvesting hard, especially in lush, over-fertilised fields.
How to prevent lodging in wheat crop?
PPawan Kumar9mo ago · 313 views
4 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓9mo ago
Prevent lodging by avoiding excess nitrogen and excess irrigation, which make stems weak and the canopy too heavy. Apply nitrogen in splits rather than all at once, and stick to the recommended dose based on soil test. Choose dwarf or semi-dwarf, lodging-resistant varieties like DBW 327, DBW 303 and HD-3086. Keep proper seed rate so the stand is not over-dense, and avoid heavy irrigation just before windy or rainy spells at grain filling, when heavy ears tip the plants over. In highly fertile fields where lush growth is expected, you can also use a recommended plant growth regulator, but correct fertiliser and water management is the first line of defence.
RRohit9mo ago
My field lodged the year I put extra urea thinking it would boost yield. Now I follow the soil test dose and split nitrogen. No more lodging.
YYashpal8mo ago
Watch the weather before the late irrigations. I now skip irrigating if a strong wind or rain is forecast at grain filling, because a wet field with heavy ears goes down in one gust. The crop can wait a day or two.
CChandan Singh8mo ago
Over-dense sowing also causes weak, drawn-up stems. Sticking to the recommended seed rate with a drill gave me a sturdier stand than the thick broadcast crop I used to grow. Lodging dropped just from that.