Triticum aestivum
India’s principal rabi cereal. Timely sowing in the first fortnight of November is the single biggest lever on yield — everything else in this guide exists to protect that window.
Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is grown across roughly 30 million hectares in India, almost entirely as a rabi crop sown after the kharif harvest and cut before the summer heat arrives.
Yield is decided early. A field sown in the first fortnight of November, on time-tested varieties, with balanced nutrition and irrigation at the right stages, reliably clears 45-50 quintals per hectare. The same field sown three weeks late, on the same inputs, can lose a fifth of that.
This page follows the crop in the order you will actually meet it — land, seed, sowing, nutrition, water, protection, harvest, sale — so you can jump straight to whichever stage you are at.
A quick visual map of the season — jump to any section below for the detail behind each stage.
1–25 November, drilled 5 cm deep at 20–22.5 cm row spacing — the single biggest lever on the whole season sits in this one date.
The most nitrogen- and water-responsive stage in the crop; the first top dressing and irrigation land here together.
Sets tiller number, which caps how many ears the field can ultimately carry; second nitrogen top dressing goes in around here.
Stem elongation ahead of flowering — the crop’s water demand starts climbing fast.
Moisture stress here directly cuts grain number per ear — the second irrigation you should never skip.
The last irrigation that matters — it decides final grain weight, not just grain number.
When grain moisture drops to 20–25% and straw turns golden-yellow, timing depending on variety and sowing date.
States where this crop is grown at scale, highlighted below. Your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra is still the final word for your specific block.
Grown here
Wheat is a cool-season crop. Every date on this page exists to land grain-filling before the heat of March arrives — that single fact is why the sowing window matters more than almost anything else here.
Ideal temperature
10–25°C through the season; 20–25°C for germination
Rainfall
~450–650 mm over the crop cycle, mostly met by irrigation
Humidity
Low through grain-filling; high humidity around heading raises rust risk
Sunlight
Full sun, 6+ hours a day — cloudy spells at flowering hurt pollination
A soil test (free under the Soil Health Card scheme) is worth more than any generic fertilizer recommendation on this page — most Indo-Gangetic soils are short of zinc and sulphur, not nitrogen.
Suitable soil
Well-drained loam to clay loam; alluvial soil of the Indo-Gangetic plain is closest to ideal
pH range
6.0–7.5
Drainage
Good — wheat cannot stand waterlogging, especially in the first three weeks
Organic matter
Medium to high; a green-manure or legume crop the previous season lifts yield measurably
Same four steps whichever region you are in — only the timing shifts with the sowing window.
Remove the previous crop’s stubble and volunteer plants. Where rice stubble is left standing for zero-till sowing, this step is skipped by design — see the sowing method note below.
One deep ploughing after the kharif harvest, followed by two to three cross-harrowings, breaks clods and buries crop residue and weed seed.
Laser land levelling is the single highest-return land-prep investment for wheat — it cuts irrigation water by roughly 25–30% and makes germination far more even across the field.
Where irrigation is by flood or bed-and-furrow, mark beds now. Sowing directly onto pre-formed raised beds (FIRBS) saves both water and seed versus flat sowing.
How the main varieties compare, so you can pick by duration, yield, disease pressure or what you are growing for.
| Variety | Duration | Yield | Disease resistance | Best state | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HD 3086 Widely grown for timely sown irrigated conditions across the Indo-Gangetic plain; good rust tolerance in most current zones. | 110–125 days | 55–70 q/ha | Resistant to yellow and brown rust | Punjab, Haryana, western UP | Table (timely sown, irrigated) |
HD 2967 One of the most widely adopted ICAR-released varieties for timely sowing; strong past yield record, but its rust resistance has eroded against newer races — screen locally each season before relying on it alone. | 145–150 days | 50–55 q/ha | Resistance to current rust races has eroded since release | Punjab, Haryana, western UP | Table (timely sown, irrigated) |
DBW 187 (Karan Vandana) Bred for later sowing tolerance — a useful choice where the previous crop delays the wheat sowing window. | 140–145 days | 49–65 q/ha | Resistant to yellow and brown rust | Bihar, eastern UP, West Bengal | Late-sown fields |
HD 3226 (Pusa Yashasvi) Represents the newer high-protein, zinc-rich biofortified releases now being pushed by ICAR for nutritional programmes. | 120–125 days | 57–80 q/ha | Resistant to yellow and brown rust | Punjab, Haryana, western UP | Biofortified (high protein and zinc) |
Zero-till sowing directly into standing rice stubble is now standard across Punjab, Haryana and western UP. It saves 7–10 days versus conventional tillage — worth more than the fuel saved — and avoids the air-quality and soil-health cost of stubble burning.
A split dose beats one large dose applied at sowing — nitrogen especially is lost to the air and to leaching if it all goes in on day one.
At sowing
Full dose of phosphorus and potash (roughly 60:40 kg/ha P₂O₅:K₂O for irrigated timely sown wheat) plus about one-third of the nitrogen, placed below the seed with a seed-cum-fertilizer drill.
~20–25 days after sowing, at crown root initiation (CRI)
About one-third of the nitrogen dose, applied just before or with the first irrigation. CRI is the single most nitrogen-responsive stage in the whole crop.
~40–45 days after sowing, at late tillering / jointing
The remaining nitrogen, again applied with irrigation so it does not sit on dry soil and volatilise into the air unused.
At tillering, and again at flowering if the soil test shows a deficiency
A 0.5% zinc sulphate spray corrects the zinc deficiency common on Indo-Gangetic alluvial soil; a 2% urea spray at grain-filling can lift 1,000-grain weight in a stressed crop.
~21 days after sowing
The single most critical irrigation of the season — skipping it costs more yield than skipping any other.
~40–45 days after sowing
Supports tiller number, which sets the upper limit on how many ears the field can carry.
~60–65 days after sowing
Feeds the stem elongation phase just ahead of flowering.
~80–85 days after sowing
Moisture stress here directly cuts grain number per ear.
~100–105 days after sowing
The last irrigation that matters — it decides final grain weight.
What a shortage of each nutrient actually looks like on the plant, so you can tell a deficiency apart from a disease before you spray the wrong thing.
Visible symptom
Uniform pale yellowing starting on older, lower leaves, with a thin, spindly stand and fewer tillers than expected.
Visible symptom
Leaves take on a dull purplish-bronze tinge, most visible on young plants in cold weather, with stunted root growth.
Visible symptom
Scorching and yellowing along the tips and margins of older leaves, with weaker stems that lodge more easily in wind or rain.
Visible symptom
Pale, interveinal chlorotic streaks on the middle of younger leaves with stunted growth — the single most common micronutrient deficiency on Indo-Gangetic alluvial soil.
Visible symptom
Uniform pale yellowing that, unlike nitrogen deficiency, shows up on the youngest leaves first, since sulphur does not move within the plant.
Symptoms, likely cause and what actually treats it — not just a spray name.
What to look for before the damage is visible, and organic options before you reach for a chemical.
The mistakes that cost growers the most, ranked by how often they show up in the field — not in the order you might expect.
Why it hurts
Every week of delay past the timely-sowing window typically costs 1–1.5 quintals per hectare, as grain-filling gets pushed into the heat of March.
Why it hurts
Gives an uneven stand and sowing depth, patchier germination, and makes top-dressing and inter-row weeding much harder later.
Why it hurts
This is the single most yield-critical irrigation of the season — skipping it costs more yield than skipping any other one.
Why it hurts
A large share is lost to the air or leached away before the crop can use it at crown-root initiation and jointing, and the rest encourages lodging.
Why it hurts
Damages soil biology and air quality, wastes the 7–10 days zero-till would have saved, and is now legally restricted in several states.
Why it hurts
An infected seed lot looks completely normal at sowing — loose smut only shows once the ear emerges, and by then every affected ear is a total loss with no in-season cure.
Why it hurts
Rust races shift — a variety resistant a few seasons ago (HD 2967 is the well-known case) can be susceptible now, and the ICAR-IIWBR advisory is updated every season for exactly this reason.
Why it hurts
A dense canopy is more susceptible to powdery mildew and lodges more easily, both of which cost more yield than the extra nitrogen added.
Why it hurts
Damp grain heats up and spoils in storage or transit, sometimes before storage pests even get a chance to damage it.
Why it hurts
A late-sowing-zone variety in a timely-sown field, or the reverse, leaves yield on the table regardless of how well everything else on this page is managed.
When grain moisture drops to 20–25% and the crop turns golden-yellow, roughly 120–150 days after sowing depending on variety and sowing date.
40–55 q/ha (irrigated, timely sown); over 55 q/ha achievable with best management
Storage
Dry grain to below 12% moisture before storage. A hermetic bag (e.g. a PICS bag) all but eliminates storage-pest loss without any chemical fumigant.
Packaging
Jute or high-density polypropylene (HDPE) bags for market sale; hermetic bags for on-farm storage beyond 2–3 months.
Transportation
Cover loads during transport to protect against rain; never transport visibly damp grain — it heats up and spoils in transit.
Shelf life
6–12 months in good on-farm storage at the right moisture content; considerably longer in a proper warehouse with pest control.
Today's mandi price near you, pulled live from the government's own Agmarknet data.
Live daily mandi prices from the government Agmarknet dataset.
Synced from data.gov.in (Agmarknet). Rates are ₹ per quintal.
Current conditions and a 5-day outlook for your selected location, with one line of stage-aware advice.
Pick your state for current conditions and a 5-day outlook.
Live data from Open-Meteo
Your own cost sheet, expected yield and selling price — not ours.
Share of the total cost per acre, using the calculator’s own default cost sheet below — adjust the numbers there to match your field and this picture will no longer apply to you exactly, but the ranking rarely changes.
Government and ICAR documents only — everything below is hosted on an official server.
Package of practices, variety recommendations and season-wise advisories from the ICAR institute mandated for wheat.
Government of India’s farmer portal, including season-specific advisories and market information.
Get a free, crop-wise fertilizer recommendation for your own field before finalising the fertilizer schedule above.
Register for free SMS advisories timed to your crop stage and district.
The first fortnight of November — 1 to 25 November — for timely sown, irrigated wheat across most of the Indo-Gangetic plain. Every week of delay past 25 November typically costs 1–1.5 quintals per hectare, because grain-filling gets pushed into the heat of March.
About 40 kg per acre (100 kg/ha) for a timely sown, irrigated crop with line sowing. Increase to roughly 50 kg per acre (125 kg/ha) for late sowing, since a later-sown crop tillers less and needs a denser stand to compensate.
Usually 4–6, with the one at 20–25 days (crown root initiation) being the single most critical — skipping it costs more yield than skipping any other. On assured supply, irrigations at CRI, tillering/jointing, flowering and grain-filling cover most needs.
A common recommendation for irrigated, timely sown wheat is 120:60:40 kg/ha of N:P:K, split as roughly one-third nitrogen plus the full phosphorus and potash at sowing, and the remaining nitrogen in two top dressings at CRI and jointing. Your own soil test — free under the Soil Health Card scheme — can adjust this for your specific field.
Three common causes: nitrogen deficiency (uniform yellowing starting on older leaves, fixed by a top dressing), waterlogging (yellowing plus stunted roots, fixed by improving drainage), or early rust infection (yellow stripes or pustules rather than uniform colour — see the Diseases section above). Look closely at the pattern before deciding which one it is.
₹2,585 per quintal for RMS 2026–27, as notified by the Government of India. MSP is revised every rabi marketing season, so check the current notification before selling.
Check the lower leaves in cool, humid weather from December onward for bright yellow-orange stripes (yellow rust) or scattered orange-brown pustules (brown rust). Catching it in the first week keeps one fungicide spray from turning into two.
40–55 quintals per hectare for an irrigated, timely sown crop under normal management; over 55 q/ha is achievable with a high-yielding variety, on-time sowing and no major disease pressure. A rainfed or late-sown crop yields meaningfully less.
When grain moisture drops to 20–25% and the crop turns golden-yellow — usually 120–150 days after sowing. Grain that resists a thumbnail dent and rattles inside the ear when shaken is ready.
Dry the grain to below 12% moisture before bagging, and use a hermetic (sealed) storage bag if holding it for more than 2–3 months — it controls storage pests without any chemical fumigant.
PM-KISAN is not crop-specific — any landholding farmer family meeting the scheme’s land-record and eligibility criteria qualifies, wheat or otherwise. See the Related schemes section below.
Yes, under PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana). Wheat is a rabi crop, so the farmer’s premium is capped at 1.5% of the sum insured. Enrolment is seasonal — check your state’s cut-off date before sowing is complete.
Zero-till sowing drills wheat seed directly into standing rice stubble without ploughing. It saves 7–10 days versus conventional tillage — worth more than the diesel — and avoids burning the stubble, which damages soil and air quality. It is now standard practice across Punjab, Haryana and western UP.
It depends on your sowing date and zone — a timely sown, irrigated field suits a different variety than a late-sown or rainfed one. Check the current season’s ICAR-IIWBR or your state agricultural university’s variety recommendation, since rust-resistance ratings shift as new disease races appear.
Moderate, not heavy — total water need is roughly 450–650 mm over the season depending on soil and climate, well below rice or sugarcane. Laser land levelling before sowing is the single biggest lever on cutting that further.
Baling and selling it as fodder or for a biomass power plant is usually more profitable than burning it, and avoids the air-quality and soil-health cost of stubble burning — which is also legally restricted in several states.
Lodging usually comes from a dense, top-heavy canopy on excess nitrogen combined with weak stems, then a wind or rain event tips it over. Splitting the nitrogen dose across sowing, crown-root initiation and jointing — rather than one large dose — keeps the canopy in balance and the stem strong enough to stand.
Yes, in areas with reliable winter rainfall (parts of Madhya Pradesh and the Deccan plateau grow a rainfed crop), but yield is meaningfully lower than the 40–55 q/ha irrigated benchmark on this page. A rainfed crop also needs a shorter-duration, drought-tolerant variety rather than one bred for the irrigated Indo-Gangetic plain.
Propiconazole or tebuconazole, sprayed at the first sign of pustules, with a second spray after 15 days if pressure continues. The same two fungicides work for both yellow (stripe) and brown (leaf) rust.
About one 40 kg bag per acre for a timely sown, irrigated crop (100 kg/ha), rising to roughly 1.25 bags (50 kg) per acre for late sowing, since a later-sown crop tillers less and needs a denser stand to compensate.
Shrivelled grain almost always traces back to a missed or late irrigation at the milk / grain-filling stage (~100–105 days), or a sudden heat spell during grain-filling — both cut the time the plant has to fill each grain to full weight. A late-sown crop is at the highest risk, since its grain-filling window is pushed straight into the hottest part of the season.
A dark discolouration at the germ end of the grain, most common when humid weather coincides with grain-filling — it is a cosmetic and grading issue rather than one that affects germination. It downgrades the lot for milling quality even though the grain is otherwise sound, so keep humid-season lots separate at sale if you can.
Yes — a few rows of mustard or gram sown between wheat rows is a long-standing practice in parts of the Indo-Gangetic plain, and gram or mustard in rotation (rather than intercropped) also breaks the Phalaris minor weed cycle that repeated wheat-on-wheat sowing builds up. Row ratios and spacing need adjusting from a pure wheat stand, so check your state agricultural university’s local recommendation before scaling it up.
Deeper reading on specific parts of the season.
CropsTwo wheat farmers with identical land, identical rain and an identical MSP can still end the season with very different profit — because profit is decided weeks before harvest, by sowing date, nitrogen timing and one irrigation round.
Technical Kisan Editorial3 min readCropsSowing date is the single biggest lever on wheat yield in North India — bigger than variety, bigger than fertiliser. Here is what late sowing actually costs you, and how to adjust seed rate when you cannot sow on time.
Technical Kisan Editorial4 min readThe FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything specific to your field and soil, your nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra is the authoritative answer.
