Agriculture scientists have welcomed the winter rains and cold spell as abnormally high temperature in January had threatened the survival of the Rabi crops. The scientists have however cautioned the long spell of cold wave could hailstorms along with rains which could damage the crops.
"Its not cold wave its gold wave. It’s the tillering period in the wheat crop and high temperature and hampered the growth of the green shoots in the wheat plant. The cold wave will last at least three days. Pressure is prevailing in Rajasthan and this could prolong the cold spell and further drop in temperature to be followed by the hailstorm and this will be damaging for the Rabi crop’’, said Dr Vinod Tewari of the UP council of agriculture research (UPCAR.
UPCAR heads the crop whether watch group and holds fortnightly meeting during the Rabi season and weekly meetings during the Kharif season. Besides the scientists from the three agriculture universities, Indian metrological department is also part of the watch group.
Deficient rain fall in 2015 followed by the abnormally high temperature in January had affected the sowing of the Rabi crops in the state. UP accounts for 33 area under cultivation for the wheat crop at national level and 35 percent of the wheat or about 3 crore MT is produced in the state. Due to earlier drought and now adverse whether the area under wheat in UP has already come down by 12 percent. Annually wheat is sown 99 lakh hectares. . As per the latest rabi sowing coverage data released by the state’s agriculture department, over 104.90 lakh hectares land was under rabi crop cultivation as on December 28, 2015, 14.98 percent down from previous year’s coverage of 123.38 lakh hectares recorded in the same period
Agriculture department sources however said despite the marked improvement in the temperature, wheat production is set to go down this year as the area under wheat crop has decreased. UP, the biggest wheat producing state of the country is set to lose heavily this Rabi season due to the adverse impact of the change in the climate. Along with the wheat the output of oilseeds, pulses, peas and Chana is also likely to be affected’’, said an official of the agriculture department.
In 2010 , the farmers of the state has to suffer heavily as wheat grain had shriveled by 50-60 percent and in extreme cases in Buldelkhand it was as high as 70 to 80, percent due to high day temperature ranging between 35-38 degrees. The Union agriculture ministry which allows only 7 percent shriveling had reduced the Minimum support price for the wheat affected by the heat wave conditions.