Punjab sets 16.5m-acre wheat cultivation target, farmers urged to complete sowing by Nov 20

FAISALABAD, Nov 08 (APP):The Punjab Agriculture Department has called upon the farmers to complete wheat sowing in irrigated areas by November 20, adopt recommended high-yielding varieties and follow modern cultivation practices to help achieve the provincial target of 22.5 million metric tonnes of wheat production from 16.5 million acres during the current season. A spokesman for the Agriculture (Extension) Department said on Sunday that wheat was one of Pakistan's major food crops and increasing its per-acre yield had become essential to meet the growing food requirements of the population. He said that wheat sowing had already commenced in the irrigated areas of Punjab and the farmers were advised to complete the process within the recommended timeframe to ensure better crop establishment and higher production. He urged the farmers to use certified seed of the approved varieties particularly Akbar-19, Falak-24, Suwaira-24, Urooj-22, Aujala-2016, Johar-2016, Anaj-2017, Fakhr-e-Bhakkar-17, Bhakkar Star-19, Ghazi-19, Nishan-21 and Dilkash-20. The recommended seed rate for normal sowing was 40 to 45 kilograms per acre, with a germination capacity of at least 85 percent. However, the farmers intending to cultivate wheat in standing cotton crops should increase the seed rate to 55 to 60 kg per acre while maintaining the same minimum germination standard, he added. He warned that seed-borne diseases including Karnal bunt, wheat blast and foot rot could cause substantial losses in wheat production. To protect the crop, he advised the farmers to treat seed before sowing with Thiophanate-methyl at the rate of two to 2.5 grams per kg seed or Imidacloprid plus Tebuconazole at four milliliters per kg. He recommended using a rotating drum for uniform seed treatment. In its absence, the farmers could place the measured quantity of seed and the recommended chemical in a plastic bag filled to about half its capacity, tie its mouth securely and shake it thoroughly while holding both ends to ensure that every seed was properly coated, he added. Emphasizing the importance of proper land preparation, the spokesman said that a well-prepared and leveled field was essential for achieving a healthy crop and higher yields. In the fields with heavy crop residues, the farmers should plough two to three times and use a conventional or laser land leveler wherever necessary. He advised dividing fields into smaller sections before pre-sowing irrigation to ensure efficient use of water and cover a larger area with less water. As the sowing season approached, the farmers should plough their fields before sunrise and follow each operation with planking. Repeating the process two to three times would help eliminate weeds and bring moisture from deeper soil layers towards the surface, improving conditions for seed germination, he added. He further advised that after pre-sowing irrigation, the farmers should allow the soil to reach a suitable moisture level and then use a cultivator or plank for two to three days to compact the land, a practice locally known as 'Rambar'. After this operation, the field should be ploughed twice and leveled with a plank, then left undisturbed for eight to 10 days to encourage weed seeds to germinate. A final ploughing before sowing would destroy the emerging weeds, he added. Regarding wheat cultivation after cotton and maize, the spokesman said that farmers should irrigate fields 15 to 20 days before removing cotton sticks and maize stalks so that the soil remained sufficiently moist during residue clearance and subsequent land preparation. Immediately after removing the stalks, the farmers should plough the field twice and operate a rotavator once. If a rotavator was unavailable, a heavy plank could be used as an alternative, he added. For the dry sowing method, he advised the farmers to plough the field twice after harvesting the previous crop, followed by one operation with a rotavator or disc harrow. Wheat should then be sown through a drill and the field irrigated, ensuring that the seed was placed at a depth of no more than one inch, he added. Explaining another cultivation technique, he said that broadcast method using pre-soaked seed was particularly suitable for salt-affected soils. Under this method, the farmers should plough the field twice after harvesting the previous crop, level it with a heavy plank and irrigate it before broadcasting seed soaked in water for four to six hours. However, soaking the seed was not necessary when using this method in hard soils, he added. He said that for fields previously cultivated with rice, the farmers should stop irrigation around 15 days before harvesting the paddy crop so that the soil retained sufficient moisture for immediate wheat sowing after harvest. This step would eliminate the need for an additional waiting period. Following rice harvesting, the farmers should operate a rotavator once or a disc harrow twice, followed by ploughing and planking, before sowing wheat through a drill, he added. He also stressed that the timing of irrigation was crucial for ensuring healthy crop growth and should be adjusted according to the preceding crop. For wheat cultivated after cotton, maize and sugarcane, the first irrigation should be applied 20 to 25 days after sowing when the crown roots begin to emerge, he said, adding that the second irrigation should be given 80 to 90 days after sowing at the booting stage while the third should be applied 125 to 130 days after sowing during the early grain formation or milky stage. In the fields where wheat followed rice, the first irrigation should be delayed until 35 to 45 days after sowing because residual moisture in the rice stubble fields remained relatively high, he said. The delayed watering would help maintain suitable soil conditions, ensure adequate aeration around plant roots and encourage the development of stronger root systems and additional tillers. The second and third irrigations should be applied at 80 to 90 days and 125 to 130 days after sowing, respectively, he added. The spokesman said that for late-sown wheat, the farmers should apply first irrigation 25 to 30 days after sowing at the tillering stage and the second 70 to 80 days after sowing at the booting stage. The farmers should follow the Agriculture Department's recommended sowing schedules, certified seed standards, field preparation techniques and irrigation guidelines to improve per acre productivity and help Punjab achieve its ambitious wheat production target during the current season, he added.