• Climatic Requirements: Wheat is a cool season Rabi crop. Higher productivity can be expected if maximum temperature remains within 16-20 & 23-25°C and minimum temperature remains within 4-11 & 7-13°C during vegetative & grain development stages, respectively. The higher temperature during vegetative stage results in poor tillering and early heading. The higher temperature during grain filling stage leads to premature ripening and reduction in grain weight. Light but frequent irrigation is recommended to minimize the effect of sudden rise of temperature. Rainfall : 500-1000 mm per year preferably pre sowing. Cool, dry climate with bright sunshine during crop growth is required.

• Soil Type: Wheat can be grown on all kind of soils, except the highly deteriorated alkaline, water-logged and very sandy soils. Well-drained loamy to clay loam soils are most suitable. Ideal soil pH should be between 6.0 to 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral). Durum wheat should preferably be sown on medium to fine textured soils. Light textured soil (sandy to loamy sand) usually have low water retention capacity and on such soils, wheat followed by maize gives poor yield. For best results, green manure with sunhemp or cowpea (fodder) during kharif or keep these soils fallow and take a crop of wheat/wheat-gram mixture with raya rows during rabi.

• Rotations: Rice-Wheat, Rice-Wheat-Summer Moong/Mash, Cotton-Wheat, Maize-Wheat, Maize/Rice-Potato-Wheat, Moong/Arhar/Mash-Wheat, Groundnut- Wheat, Early Fodder-Toria-Wheat, Green Manure-Rice-Wheat, Rice-Pea-Wheat, Soybean-Wheat, Summer Groundnut-Potato/Toria/Pea/Late Kharif Fodder-Wheat, Summer moong/Green manure-DSR-Wheat.

• Field Preparation: 2 harrowings should be followed by planking to create a fine tilth.

• Sowing Time: For securing the best grain yield, wheat must be sown at the optimum time. First fortnight of November (2nd Week) is the optimum sowing time of wheat crop. However, sowing of long duration varieties can be commenced from the fourth week of October to save these from high temperature near maturity. Delayed sowing upto mid December can be done but might cause a gradual decline in the yield of wheat. A delay of one week from optimum sowing reduces wheat yield by about 150 kg per acre.

• Indicative Per Acre Sowing Quantity (if done timely): 40-45 kgs

• Indicative Per Acre Sowing Quantity (if done late): 50-60 kgs

• Sowing Method and Spacing: Line sowing is recommended whereas broadcasting is less preferred. Sow wheat with a seed-cum-fertilizer drill at a depth of 4-6 cm. A spacing of 20-22.5 cm between the rows gives good yield. For hastening the emergence of late sown wheat, sowing of soaked seed is beneficial. Soak the seed in water for 4-6 hours and spread it in a thin layer. Sow it after 24 hours making the necessary adjustments in the seed drill. If the soil moisture is good sow the crop at a row-to-row spacing of 22-25 cm. If the seed zone moisture is inadequate, sow seed slightly deeper in moist soil layer (8-10 cm) and increase row spacing to 30 cm.

• Seed Treatment: Treatment should not be done earlier than one month of sowing as it affects seed germination. Fungicide : Carboxin or Carbendazim @2g per kg seed. Bio control : Trichoderma viride @4g per kg seed.

• Nutrient Management: 1. Organic Manure: FYM/Compost @2-4t/acre before sowing. 2. Fertilizer recommendation (irrigated): Nitrogen (N): 48 kg per acre, Phosphorus (P2O5 ): 24 kg per acre, Potassium (K2O ): 16 kg per acre. 

The application should be done as : Full dose of Phosphorus and Potassium and 50% Nitrogen at sowing , remaining Nitrogen in 1-2 splits at Crown Root Initiation and booting stages.  

• Irrigation Management: Sow wheat after a heavy pre-sowing irrigation (10 cm) except when it follows rice. In case wheat sowing is likely to be delayed due to late harvesting of rice, the pre-sowing irrigation for wheat can be given to standing rice 5-10 days (depending upon soil type) before its harvest except where the crop is to be harvested with combine. This practice advances the sowing of wheat by about a week. For efficient use of irrigation water, farmers are advised to make 8 plots (kiaras) per acre in heavy textured soils and 16 plots per acre in light textured soils. Total irrigation should be 4-6 times depending on the soil. The critical stages are : Crown root initiation - 20-25 DAS, tillering, jointing, flowering and dough stage. The first irrigation should be relatively light and given after three weeks to October- sown crop and after four weeks to the crop sown later. The subsequent irrigations are also determined by the date of sowing. Advance the date of the first irrigation on light soils and delay it by one week on heavy paddy soils. For each cm of rain, increase the interval for the next irrigation by 5 days upto the end of January and by 2 days after this period. Depending upon the rainfall, irrigate the timely sown crop upto the end of March to avoid the harmful effect of unusual rise in temperature at grain filling/formation stage. Care should be taken not to irrigate the crop on windy days to avoid lodging. For the crop sown after December 5, continue irrigation upto April 10. Observe the following irrigation time-table for wheat sown on sandy loam or heavier soils on different dates: 

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  Weed Control: Weeds can be controlled by two hand hoeings, one before first irrigation and second after first irrigation with wheel hand hoe, kasola or khurpa etc. Hand weeding can be done if chemical control is not possible. Some weeds can be controlled with the use of herbicides applied pre-emergence within two days of sowing or before first irrigation or after first irrigation (Pendimethalin @1.32L per acre) or post-emergence (Metsulfuron-methyl @1.6 g per acre - 30-35 DAS) with the apt amount of water.

• Pest and Disease Management: It is moderately resistant to yellow and brown and black rust. Spray Propiconazole 25 EC @0.1% at first appearance. Disease free seed to be used to protect against smut, bunt and ear cockle. Saltwater floatation method can be used for seed selection. For termites, use Chlorpyriphos @1.6 L per acre in irrigation water or soil. 

• Harvesting and Threshing: Harvest and thresh wheat as soon as fully ripe when grain moisture is 20% (hard dough stage), to avoid grain shattering. Delayed harvesting results in high grain losses. Combine harvesters or mechanical threshers are generally being used for simultaneous and efficient harvesting and threshing of wheat.

• Storage: In case the grain contains more than 12 per cent moisture, it should be dried before storing, otherwise it would be spoiled by moulds and excessive heat that develops during storage. Seed-cleaners-cum-graders may also be used at this stage if the produce is to be used as seed.

• Additional Remarks : Bold grains, lustrous. Not recommended in sub-mountainous regions. Suitable for growing under poplar plantation. It pays to apply fertilizer to wheat in rainfed areas provided adequate moisture has been stored in the soil profile. PW 2325 is preferred in the following states : Punjab, Haryana, UP, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, MP, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.