RABI CROP - AGRICULTURE
News: Wet
March and wheat crop
What's in the news?
● 2021-22
and 2022-23 have both seen unusual rabi (winter-spring) cropping seasons in
terms of weather and yield loss, especially in wheat.
● But
the patterns of rainfall and temperature
variation and the damage to the standing crop as a result have been different
in the two seasons.
Key takeaways:
● The
2021-22 season was marked by too much rain. The country received rainfall that
was way above the “normal” long period average in every month from September
2021 to January 2022.
● This
was followed by the hottest ever March in terms of average maximum
temperatures.
Rabi Crop:
● Rabi
crops are agricultural crops that are sown
in winter and harvested in the spring.
● The
rabi crops are sown around mid-November, preferably after the monsoon rains are
over, and harvesting begins in April / May.
● The
crops are grown either with rainwater that has percolated into the ground or
using irrigation. Large rain in winter spoils the rabi crops but is good for
kharif crops.
Examples of Rabi crops:
● Wheat,
Barley, Oats, Gram, Peas, Mustard, and Linseed, among others.
Issues of climate change on Wheat:
● Wheat
is sensitive to both heat stress and
rain/ thunderstorms during the terminal grain filling and ripening period.
● Winter
is the time when the crop’s ear heads
are heavy with grains.
● The
more the weight accumulated from grain-filling, the more vulnerable is the crop
to rain. These, when accompanied by high-velocity winds, make the stems prone
to “lodging” or bending and even falling flat on the ground.
Important Stats:
Production:
● Top Wheat Producing
States: Uttar Pradesh > Punjab > Haryana
● Top Wheat Producing
Countries: China > India > Russia.