Last year temperatures jumped suddenly in March and my grains shrivelled. How to reduce terminal heat damage this time.
How do I protect flowering wheat from a sudden March heat spike?
NNaresh Sharma8mo ago · 281 views
5 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓8mo ago
To reduce terminal heat damage during grain filling, the main tools are timely sowing so flowering finishes before peak heat, choosing heat-tolerant varieties, and keeping soil moisture adequate with a light irrigation if a heat spell is forecast. Some farmers use a foliar spray of potassium or a recommended anti-stress product around flowering, but evidence varies, so treat it as supportive only. Mulching and good potassium nutrition also help the crop cope. Watch the IMD and agromet advisories, and confirm any spray and irrigation timing with your local KVK as it depends on your stage and soil.
MMukesh Sharma8mo ago
The biggest help for me was simply sowing on time so my crop flowered before the worst March heat arrived. The years I sowed late always got caught by the heat spike at grain filling and the grain came shrivelled, no matter what I sprayed.
RRamprasad Lodhi8mo ago
When a heat wave is forecast in our area I give a light irrigation a day or two before it hits. The moist soil and the cooling from evaporation seem to take the edge off for the crop. Just keep it light so you do not invite lodging if wind comes with the heat.
GGovind Raghuvanshi8mo ago
A simple thing that helped on my Vidisha land was a light residue mulch on the surface, it kept the soil cooler and held moisture longer through the hot spell so the crop was less stressed at grain filling. Combined with timely sowing it took some of the sting out of the March heat for me.
DDinesh Raghuvanshi8mo ago
I tried a potassium foliar spray around flowering on half my field one year. Hard to say it was a miracle, but that half held a slightly plumper grain in a hot season. I treat it as a small helper on top of timely sowing and irrigation, not a cure on its own.