ICAR develops a new HD-3385 wheat variety: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed a new type of wheat to address issues caused by changing weather patterns and rising temperatures. This brand-new HD-3385 wheat variety may be sown early, evades the effects of heat waves, and is ready for harvest by the end of March.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
ICAR develops a new HD-3385 wheat variety
The Union Agriculture Ministry declared that a committee had been established to keep track of the situation brought on by the rise in temperatures and any effects it may have on the current wheat harvest. This occurs despite the fact that grain inflation spiked to a record 16.12%% year-over-year in January, driven mostly by increases in the price of wheat and atta (flour), which saw a 25.05% yearly increase in consumer prices.
Wheat stocks in government godowns, which were at 154.44 lakh tonnes on February 1—the lowest for the same date in six years—have made the situation worse. The wheat that farmers are currently growing in their fields, which won’t be harvested until April, is a major source of worry. Last year, a spike in March temperatures burned the crop at precisely the right time when the grains were storing proteins and starch, causing a major decline in both production and government purchases.
What is the ideal temperature for a wheat crop?
- With maximum and minimum temperatures already 3-5 degrees Celsius above average in several wheat-growing regions, there is concern that the same thing will occur again this time.
- Regardless of whether March 2022 will occur again, climate change has undoubtedly made India’s wheat crop susceptible to terminal heat stress during the last stages of grain formation and filling.
- This is especially true given the tendency for summer to arrive early with little to no spring break.
- Wheat is normally a 140-145 day crop planted before the middle of the month (following the harvest of paddy, cotton, and soybean) in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, and it is planted in the second half and beyond of the month in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (after sugarcane and paddy). The crop won’t be subjected to terminal heat if sowing can be postponed and started around October 20.
- Most of the grain filling will be finished by the third week of March. Hence, it can be comfortably harvested by the end of the month.
