Wheat sowing over 85 percent area completed in Punjab

Wheat sowing over 14 million acres has been completed in Punjab which is 85 percent of the targeted 16 million acres to produce 19 million tons of wheat during 2013-14 Rabi season, Director General Agriculture Extension Services Dr Anjum Ali told Business Recorder here on Wednesday.
He said the wheat sowing has been going on according to schedule in the province that produces 80 percent of the total staple food of the nation. Director General Pakistan Meteorological Department Dr Arif Mahmood told this scribe that mainly dry and cold weather is expected in plains of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and KPK till 16th December 2013. He advised farmers of irrigated plains of Punjab, Sindh & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to complete sowing of wheat crop before 15th December to get maximum yield. In case of late sowing in December, the recommended varieties should be cultivated to minimise the expected loss in yield.
Dr Mahmood said wheat sowing is in progress in most of the irrigated areas. Farmers of irrigated areas should irrigate the crop as per requirement due to dry weather prevailing in most of the irrigated agricultural plains of the country. Normally first irrigation is given after 20-25 days after sowing.
Meanwhile, the Indus River System Authority is releasing 1,06,400 cusecs water from the reservoirs and run of the river water for power generation and crop irrigation. 50,000 cusecs water is being released from the Tarbela dam, 40,000 cusecs from Mangla Dam, 8,700 cusecs from river Kabul and River Chanab 7,700 cusecs.

News Source: Business Recorder News Collected: agrinfobank.com Team

Met Office issues advisory for farmers

The farmers of rain-fed areas should sow Rabi crops from November 1 to November 10 to get an optimum yield, the Met Office said on Monday in its 10-day advisory for growers. "After this time the yield of wheat crop will decreases gradually," it warned, urging the farmers to sow wheat crop during November 1 to November 10 span to get a maximum yield. "Farmers of wheat growing areas are advised to sow their crops in time to get the optimum yield," it said. It said the recent rains have improved the soil moisture in rain-fed areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), asking the farmers to complete sowing during the month for an optimum produce. Meanwhile, whether in most parts of Punjab is expected to remain mainly dry during the 10-day period. However, the Met Office said, rain was likely at isolated places in upper parts of the province during the last few days of the period.
It said weather in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also likely to remain mainly dry. However, a rainfall is expected at isolated places in the upper parts of the province during the end days of the period. In Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), mainly dry/partly cloudy weather is expected. However, rainfall is expected at isolated places in GB by end of the period. In Kashmir, dry/partly cloudy weather is expected with chances of rains at isolated places by end of the period.

Source: http://www.brecorder.com

Rabi Crops List

The crops that are sown in the winter season are called Rabi crops. (also known as the "winter crop") in Pakistan and India. The Rabi means, when the crop is harvested.Crops that are grown in the winter season, from November to April are called Rabi Crops.Some of the important rabi crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard.

 Maize (Zea mays, L)

 Lucerne (Hedicago sativa)

 Cumin (Cuminum cyminum, L)

 Coriender (Coriandrum sativum, L)

 Wheat (Triticum vulgare, Vill)

 Fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum, L)

 Gram (Cicer arientinum)

 Onion (Allium cepa, L)

 Mustard (Brassica juncea, L)

 Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum, Mill)

 Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare, Miller)

 Potato (Solanum tuberosum)

 Isabgol (Plantago ovata. Fors)

Oat (Avena sativa)

Rabi and Kharif Crops

Rabi crops or Rabi harvest (Hindi: रबी, Urdu: رَبِیع, Punjabi: ਰੱਬੀ) refers to agricultural crops sown in winter and harvested in the summer season. The term is derived from the Arabic word for "spring", which is used in the Indian subcontinent. The Rabi crop (Hindi: रबी, Urdu: ربي) is the spring harvest (also known as the "winter crop") in Indian subcontinent.

The term Rabi means "spring" in Arabic, and the rabi crops are grown between the months mid November to April.

The water that has percolated in the ground during the rains is main source of water for these crops. Rabi crops require irrigation.

So a good or bountiful rain may tend to spoil the Kharif crops but it is good for Rabi crops.

These crops are taken after the departure of monsoon rains. The seeds are sown after the rains have gone and harvesting begins in April/May.

Major Rabi crop is wheat in India followed by barley, mustard, sesame and peas. (They are harvested early as they are ready early). So Indian Markets are flooded with Green Peas from January to March (Peak is Feb.)

The rabi season starts with the onset of north-east monsoon in October. Many crops are cultivated in both kharif and rabi seasons. The agriculture crops produced in India are seasonal in nature and highly dependent on these two monsoons.

 Examples of Rabi Crops: Wheat, Gram Pea, Mustard, Linseed, Barley, Peas

The Kharif crops (Hindi: ख़रीफ़, Urdu: خريف) is the autumn harvest ; but better know as the monsoon crops in Indian sub continent(India, Pakistan Srilanka, Nepal).

Kharif crops are usually sown with the beginning of the first rains towards the end of May in the state of Kerala during the advent of south-west monsoon season.

As the Monsoon rains advance towards the north India the sowing dates are accordingly vary and and it is done in July in North Indian states .

These crops are totally dependent on the quantity rain water as well its timing .
Too much , too less or at wrong time may lay waste the whole year's efforts .

Since this period coincides with the beginning of Autumn / winter in the Indian sub-continent It is called " Kharif period " and the crops are "Kharif crops" The term Kharif means "autumn" in Arabic.

The list of some Kharif crops:

Bajra and Jowar,Paddy or Rice,Maize ,Moong and other pulses ,Groundnut , Chillies ( they are now round the year ) Cotton, Soyabean , Sugarcane and Turmeric .

Paddy farmers a confused lot

Farmers in the district who have raised paddy nurseries in anticipation of good harvest in rabi season, are in confused as to go ahead with transplantation of the seedlings from nurseries to the main fields or drop the cultivation at nursery-stage itself to minimise the losses.

Reason for it is the continuing poor monsoon coupled with insufficient release of water from reservoirs for irrigation.

Already, it has been a poor season for paddy in the district this year with acreage under the crop been almost nil in the just-ended kharif season.

According to official statistics, paddy nurseries have come up on 110 acres to produce the seedlings required for 1,300 hectares of paddy cultivation during the just-commenced rabi season.

K.C.M. Balasubrmaniam, a progressive farmer and a former agriculture economist of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, told The Hindu that in the present drought-like situation, it would be ‘technically’ unwise to go for transplantation to main cultivable areas as preparatory works in the main field itself requires lot of water.

“But with paddy is seen as a major grain crop, the district administration could try out a solution to ensure transplantation by going for micro-level interventions.

“Accordingly, the farmers who are struggling the most for the water need to be identified and then provide them with at least six hours of uninterrupted power supply daily for almost two months as ‘emergency cases’ to enable them draw groundwater for irrigation,” he said.

Considering the seriousness of the situation and protect the paddy acreage, the department of agriculture is planning to enthuse the farmers to go for a ‘modified’ implementation of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technique so that whatever water available through canal irrigation could be judiciously used.

“Use of SRI methodology has advantages as it requires ‘reduced height of standing water’ when compared to traditional cultivation practices,” Joint Director of Agriculture M.K. Sherif said.

This apart, the department will also be distributing power weeders at subsidised rates to remove weeds for ensuring better root growth and power sprayers to help farmers fight pest attacks.