Wheat

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.