March rains with wind laid wheat in Indian Punjab

Nearly 10% of the state's total wheat crop, or about 4,000 hectares, is heavily lodging Punjab on Friday, March 25, faced another weather force majeure: rains combined with strong winds again hit the fields and caused panic among farmers, as this is the third flood in ten days. As a result, at the end of March, almost 10% of the total wheat crop, or about 4,000 hectares, is under heavy lodging, writes Ishani Chettri in an article published on krishijagran.com: “Five districts reported damage to the wheat crop by more than 40% , and in the rest recorded lodging from 15% to 25% in various places. Wheat is grown on 34.89 million hectares in Punjab with an average yield of 48 centners per hectare.” The combination of heavy rain with strong winds is the most dangerous in terms of wheat lodging. Wind creates a bending moment, precipitation increases the weight of wheat plants and weakens the roots in the soil. Lodging, due to a combination of strong winds and heavy rains, occurs ...