Production Technology of wheat- Bangladesh

Production Technology of wheat- Bangladesh

Land and soil

Wheat may be grown in high land and medium high land, and also in medium low

land where water receding takes place before November. Land and soil should be

well drained. Generally loam, sandy loam and clay loam soils are suitable for wheat

cultivation. For rainfed wheat cultivation or cultivation with residual moisture clay

soil is preferable. All the varieties could be grown in low salinity (<6 dS/m during

seedling stage). However, variety BARI Gom 25 can tolerate salinity of 8-10 dS/m

and suitable for growing in southern Bangladesh. The varieties BARI Gom 24

(Prodip), BARI Gom25 and BARI Gom 26 are to some extent tolerant to sterility and

suitable for Boron deficient soils.

Seed rate

Considering seed germination of 80% or more, 120 kg seed per hectare is

recommended. However, for the large seeded variety (BARI Gom 24), 15-20 kg more

seed per hectare is recommended to maintain standard plant population.

Seed treatment

Seed treatment with Provax-200 @ 3g per kg seed before sowing is recommended. It

increases plant population by 20-25% and grain yield by about 10-12%.

Time of sowing

The optimum sowing time for wheat is 15-30 November. Since the winter is

prolonged to some extent in the northern region, seeds could be sown up to first week

of December for optimum yield. If seeds are sown beyond this time, yield may be

decreased by 1.3% for each day delay. However, varieties like BARI Gom 23, BARI

Gom 24, BARI Gom 25, BARI Gom 26, and BARI Gom 28 possess good level of

heat tolerance and can be sown up to mid December with moderate yield.

Land preparation

Land should be prepared by country

plough, Power Tiller (2-Wheel Tractor)

or 4-Wheel Tractor if the land is at

optimum“Zoe” (appropriate moisture

level) condition. Land may be prepared

by Power tiller operated seeder (PTOS)

along with seeding.

PTOS performs 3 functions i.e.

ploughing, seeding in rows and

laddering, simultaneously. Excess

ploughing may reduce soil moisture,

which may affect germination of seeds.

If there is shortage of moisture in the

soil, irrigation should be given before

ploughing. Further, if there is shortage

of moisture in the soil and also there is not enough time to allow soil to reach “Zoe”

(appropriate moisture level) condition after the pre-sowing irrigation, a light

irrigation should be applied after sowing seeds for proper germination. Wheat can

also be planted using a bed planter in raised bed system.

Sowing method

Seed could be sown 20 cm apart in solid line for better germination and intercultural

practices.

Fertilizer application

Fertilizers like Urea, TSP, MP, Gypsum and Boric

acid is recommended @ 220, 150, 100, 100, 6-7 kg

per hectare, respectively. Two-third (2/3) of urea

and all other fertilizers should be applied at the final

land preparation as basal and the rest 1/3 urea

would be top dressed at 1st irrigation (17-20 days

after sowing). In case of acid soil (pH 4.5-5.5), Plot without Lime Plot with Lime

PTOS in operation PTOS sown field

Bed planter in operation Field view

Lime (Dolomite) is recommended to apply @ 1.0 ton/ha once in 3 years cycle. Lime

should be mixed with soil by ploughing 1-2 weeks before seeding.

Irrigation

Two or three irrigations are essential depending on the

soil moisture condition. Generally, first irrigation is

applied at 3-leaves stage i.e., 17-21 DAS at Crown

Root Initiation stage. If the soil is too dry, irrigation

should be given as early as at 15 DAS. First irrigation

should be very light and excess water should be

drained out immediately. If there is enough moisture

in the soil, irrigation

should be delayed for

some days. Second

and third irrigations

should be applied at

maximum tillering

stage (50-55 DAS)

and early stage of

grain filling (70-80 DAS), respectively. An additional irrigation before or after sowing

may be essential if there is not enough soil moisture for seed germination. Before

starting irrigation, weather condition should be observed. If there is a possibility of

rain, irrigation should be delayed. Third irrigation should also be light to avoid lodging.

2.3 Intercultural Operation

One weeding at 25-30 DAS is recommended for good yield. Weeds may be

controlled by hand weeding after first irrigation. Some herbicides viz., 2, 4-D Amine,

Affinity or Fielder could be applied at the rate of 35ml herbicide in 10 litres of water

for controlling broad leaf weeds and must be sprayed between 25 and 30 DAS in

sunny days. For chemical weed control, accurate dose of herbicide and spraying need

special attention.