Wheat

Longduration varieties like C 306 should be sown during the first fortnight of November.

Short and medium duration varieties like Sonalika, HD 1982 should be sown during the second fortnight of November.

Bring the soil to a fine tilth by deep ploughing with a soil turning plough and by running a harrow before the presowing irrigation. Presowing irrigation is a must for uniform good germination. Give a light shallow ploughing or discing after presowing irrigation. Levelling is an important part of seed bed preparation. Keep the seed bed free ofweeds.

Broadcast BHC, 10 per cent dust at 25 kg per hectare just before the last harrowing or ploughing. It may be added to the fertiliser and applied. This will prevent white ant and Gujhia attack.

The recommendced doses of fertilisers are 80 to 120 kg nitrogen, 50 to 60 kg phosphorus and 40 kg potash per hectare, in the light of soil test values and native fertility. If zinc deficiency is noticed in the soil, zinc sulphate at 15 to 20 kg per ha may be given at the seeding time.

Apply the whole of the phosphoric and potassic fertilisers and half of nitrogenous fertilisers while sowing, or just before sowing. Apply the remaining half ofnitorgenous fertiliser at first irrigation. Band placement of fertiliser gives better results. The fertiliser should not fall on the seed but should be dropped 5 cm away from the seed. Uniform fertiliser application is important. If soil has been tested, the recommendation of the soil testing laboratoryshould be followed.

Two or three roguings may be necessary to bring the seed plot to seed certification standards.

The first roguing may be done just ahead of the flowering stage, or during flowering. It isessential that his roguing be done in time, to remove any off-type plants which are obvious at this state of growth. Failure todo so can allow natural crossing of rogues with normal plants, thus adding the variation in the following year. Obvious rogues at this stage include plants of different colour, plants susceptible tovarious diseases, tall plants in a dwarf variety, dense heads or other head variations, smutted plants and early heading plants.

A second roguing should be done just after flowering is completed, and before the crop starts to turn colour. If only a few rogues are present, this might suffice as the last roguing.

The third roguing should be done after the ear heads turn colour and start to mature. In addition to rougues previously mentioned, one is now able to rogue on thebasis of differences in colour of heads, colour of awns and variations in earhead type which are most easily discernable at this stage. In addition to off-types, the objectionable weed plants such Hiran Khuri (Convolvulus arvensis), Phalaris minor and weeds such as Chatri ;matri (Lathyrus species and Vicia species), as well as other crop plants, namely barley, oats, gram must be removed at this stage, or prior to harvest.

Soon after maturity, the seed crop should be harvested to avoid shattering and losses due to uncertain weather. Delay of harvest in rainy and stormy weather may result in sprouting in the ear and thus rejection of the crop for seed.
Harvesting may be done by sickle, and later the threshing with stationary threshers orwith trampling done by bullocks. Care must be exercised to ensure that labourers do not mix the harvested certified seed with other wheat on the farm. Threshing should be done promptly. threshing equipment, if used, or the threshing floor must be thoroughly cleaned to prevent mixtures. The crop can also be combined directly in the field.

Drying, Cleaning and Bagging

Wheat seed is usually very dry at harvest time in North India, i.e., at nine to ten per cent moisture. To maintain the good quality in the seed, it is recommended that the seed be cleaned, treated and bagged immediately after threshing and prior to the start of the monsoon. the cleaned, bagged seed should be stored in a dry, insect and rodent proof warehouse.