Wheat and Climatic Conditions
Wheat is a Rabi crop. It is sown in mid-October-mid-November and harvested in March. It grows well in cool, moist climate and ripens in a warm, dry climate. The cool winters and the hot summers are conducive to a good crop. A cloudless sky having bright sunshine during ripening and harvesting periods will make better quality wheat. Winter rainfall is ideal. The climatic conditions suitable for growing wheat are given below:
Temperature: The monthly average temperature should range between 10°C and 15°C during the period of sowing. The same should be between 21°C and 26°C during ripening period. Wheat grain does not mature fully if the temperature falls below 21°C.
Rainfall: Wheat grows better in those areas where rainfall occurs in winter. Areas having 50 to 100 cm annual average rainfall grow wheat. Irrigation serves the best if rainfall falls below 50 cm.
Soils: Wheat grows best in well drained fertile loams of either alluvial soils type or black soils type.
Relief: Wheat field is gently undulating to arrest water logging.
HYV: The HYV of seeds like Larma Rajo, Sonera-6, Kalyan Sona, increase yield per hectare.
Producing areas: Wheat producing States of India are U.P., Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.
