Farmers Advised to Complete Wheat Sowing by Nov 20

FAISALABAD: Farmers in irrigated areas should complete wheat sowing from Nov 1 to Nov 20 and use certified seed of approved varieties for higher per-acre yield, the Punjab Agriculture Department said.

Farmers in irrigated areas should complete wheat sowing from Nov 1 to Nov 20, the spokesman of the Punjab Agriculture Department said.

For higher per-acre yield, farmers should use certified seed of varieties approved by the Punjab Agriculture Department.

The department advised farmers to sow Akbar 19, Falak 24, Sawera 24, Arooj 22, Ujala 2016 and Johar 2016 in irrigated areas.

Anaj 2017, Fakhar Bhakkar 17, Bhakkar Star 19, Ghazi 19, Nishan 21 and Dilkash 20 were also among the approved varieties.

Farmers should keep the seed rate at 40 to 45 kilograms per acre. The germination rate of the seed must not be less than 85 percent.

Kitchen Gardening Can Cut Food Costs as Experts Push Winter Vegetable Sowing

Seed treatment and field preparation

Before sowing, farmers should treat wheat seed with poison on the advice of local agriculture experts of the Punjab Agriculture Department.

A rotating drum should preferably be used for seed treatment. If a drum is not available, weighed seed and the recommended poison should be put in a plastic bag, tie the mouth and shake the bag well from both sides so every seed is poisoned.

The bag should be filled only about half. For good wheat production, the field must be well prepared and level.

Fallow fields should be ploughed two or three times. Where levelling is needed, the land should be levelled with a karah or a laser leveller.

Before rauni (pre-sowing irrigation), fields should be divided into small portions so rauni can cover more area with less water.

When sowing time approaches, farmers should plough before sunrise and give suhaga. Repeating this two or three times kills weeds and brings lower soil moisture up, ensuring good germination.