How to grow wheat

At a glance

Planting window

Early sown 20 Oct – 5 Nov · Timely 1–15 Nov · Late up to 25 Dec

Duration

130–160 days

Climate

20–25 °C at sowing, cool winter for tillering, no heat above 32 °C during grain filling

Soil

Loam to clay loam; sandy loam with good irrigation; pH 6.5–8.5

Water need

Moderate · about 400–450 mm a season

Seed

40 kg per acre (50 kg with Happy Seeder)

Yield

20–24 quintals per acre with timely sowing; early-sown new varieties can do better.

What to do, and when

Dates assume planting around 5 Nov. Change the plan to shift them.

• 1–4 weeks before — Prepare the field: Manage rice residue with a Happy or Super Seeder instead of burning; give a pre-sowing irrigation if the soil is dry; get a soil test.
• Days -3–0 — Pick seed for your sowing date: Early varieties for late October, timely varieties for the first half of November; treat seed as the label directs.
• Day 0 — Sow: Drill 40 kg per acre in 15–20 cm rows with phosphorus at sowing.
• Days 20–25 — First irrigation + nitrogen: Crown-root initiation is the most critical watering; top-dress nitrogen with it.
• Days 25–40 — Control weeds: Phalaris minor (gulli danda) is the main weed; use a recommended herbicide on time and rotate chemistries.
• Days 40–45 — Second irrigation + remaining nitrogen: Tillering stage.
• Months 2–3 — Scout for rust and aphids: Walk the field weekly; yellow stripes on leaves mean act immediately.
• Months 3–4 — Irrigate at flowering and milk stage: A light irrigation softens March heat stress.
• Month 5 — Harvest: Combine when grain is hard and dry; keep residue in the field.
• Months 5–6 — Sell: Register on your state procurement portal (e-Kharid in Haryana) and sell at MSP in the mandi.

Varieties to consider

Buy certified seed or planting material from an authorised source.

• DBW 327 (Karan Shivani) — Early sowing 20 Oct–5 Nov; 79 q/ha average; resistant to stripe and leaf rust, Karnal bunt.
• DBW 303 (Karan Vaishnavi) — Early sowing 25 Oct–5 Nov; 81 q/ha average.
• WH 1270 — CCS HAU release for early sowing; 76 q/ha average; resistant to yellow and brown rust.
• DBW 187 (Karan Vandana) — Timely or early sowing under irrigation; stripe-rust resistant.
• DBW 222 (Karan Narendra) — Timely sowing 5–25 Nov; irrigated.
• HD 3226 — Timely sowing; resistant to all three rusts and Karnal bunt; 12.8% protein.
• PBW 826 · PBW 872 — PAU timely-sown varieties; about 24 q/acre average.
• PBW 771 — For late sowing under irrigation; matures in about 120 days.

Water

• First irrigation about 3 weeks after sowing, then every 4–6 weeks depending on rain and soil.
• Never let it go short at: Crown-root initiation (20–25 days) · Tillering (40–45 days) · Jointing (60–65 days) · Flowering (80–85 days) · Milk stage (100–105 days) · Dough stage (115–120 days)
• Do not irrigate on windy days after heading — the crop lodges.

Nutrition

Add potash (about 20 kg MOP per acre) only where the soil test shows it is low; zinc sulphate where zinc is deficient.

• Dose: 50 kg N + 25 kg P₂O₅ per acre on medium-fertility soil (110 kg urea + 55 kg DAP)
• At sowing: all the phosphorus (and potash if your soil test asks for it) with part of the nitrogen.
• First irrigation (crown-root stage, about 21 days): top-dress nitrogen.
• Second irrigation: the remaining nitrogen.
• Organic base: Where FYM is available, 4–6 t per acre before sowing lets you trim the chemical dose after a soil test.

Pests and diseases to watch

Prevent first; spray only when needed, with a product registered for the crop, at label dose.

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Yield and economics

Paid-out cost excludes land rent and your own labour.

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• Price: MSP 2026-27
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Where these numbers come from

• PAU Package of Practices — Rabi crops Punjab Agricultural University, August 2025. North-west plains; medium-fertility soils.
• ICAR-IIWBR variety releases for the North-Western Plains Zone Sowing windows and yields as released.
• Agriculture Novel indicative estimate A planning number, not a quote. Replace it with your own costs and your mandi’s price.
• Minimum Support Prices, Rabi Marketing Season 2026-27 Government of India, approved 1 October 2025.