Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain which is a worldwide staple food.

2. Botanical Name and Economic Importance
of Wheat
•Local Name : Gom
•English Name : Wheat
•Family : Gramineae
•Botanical : Triticum aestivum
•Origin : 1. Soft Wheat
(Bread wheat) &
2. Hard Wheat
(Red wheat)

3. • 1. Wheat is the second most staple food in Bangladeshi
people.
• 2. Wheat grains are grounded into flour (atta) and consumed in
the form of chapatee/Bread (80-85%).
• 3. Soft wheat is used for making chapatee, bread, cake,
biscuits, pastry and other bakery products.
• 4. Hard wheat is used for manufacturing suji and shemay.

4. • 5. In areas where rice is a staple
food grain, wheat is eaten in the
form of puri and other products
like Singara, Samacha etc.
• 6. It is also used for making
flakes and sweet meats like
kheer, shira, etc.
• 7. Wheat grain is used for
preparing starch.
• 8. Wheat straw is used as fodder and
mulching material.

5. 1. In Bangladesh wheat is second most important
staple food crop next to rice.
2. It is only food grain having leavened bread
making quality.
3. It is widely adapted to different soil and climatic
conditions.
4. It is simple to cultivate.
5. Its grain is easy to handle, transport and store.
6. The mechanism of manufacture of flour and
other products is simple to handle.
7. It has high nutritive value among cereals.

6. Varieties of Wheat
Wheat: Triticum aestivum
1.Inia 66: 3.5-3.7 t/ha
2.Norteno 67: 3.2-3.5 t/ha
3.Sonalika: 2.3-2.8 t/ha
4.Nuri 70: Discontinued
5.Tenori 71: 3.4-3.5t/ha
6.Jupatico 73: 3.4-3.5 t/ha
7.Balaka: 2.2-2.8 t/ha
8.Doel: 3.5-4.0 t/ha
9.Pavon: 3.7-4.2 t/ha
10.Ananda(BAW 18): 2.1-2.6 t/ha

7. Varieties of Wheat
• 11.Kanchan(BAW 28): 3.5-4.6 t/ha
• 12.Barkat (BAW 39): 2.1-2.8 t/ha
• 13.Akbar(BAW 43): 3.5-4.5 t/ha
• 14.Agrani(BAW 38): 3.5-4.0 t/ha
• 15.Protiva: 3.8-4.5 t/ha
• 16.Sawrab: 3.5-4.5 t/ha
• 17.Gawrab: 3.6-4.8 t/ha
• 18.BARIgam-21(Shotabdi): 3.6-5.0 t/ha
• 19.BARIgam-22 (Sufi): 3.6-4.8 t/ha
• 20.BARIgam-23 (Bijoy): 4.3-5.0 t/ha
• 21.BARIgam-24 (Prodip): 3.5-5.1 t/ha
• 22.BARIgam-25: 4.0-5.0 t/ha
• BARIgam-26: 4.0-5.0 t/ha

8. Varieties of Wheat
• Triticale: It is produced through hybridization between
Triticum turgidum L. and Secale cereal L. and named as Triticale.
This triticale is called man made crop because it has been an
outcome of the inter Generic hybridization between two genus
and became resistant to drought and other adverse climatic
conditions. BARI has already recommended two lines for
commercial cultivation:
• 1.BARI Triticale-1: 10-11 t/ha grasses and 4.2-4.5 t/ha grain could
be achieved.
• 2.BARI Triticale-2: 10-11 t/ha grasses and 4.3-4.6 t/ha grain could
be achieved.

9. Ecological Requirement for
Wheat Cultivation

10. A) Climatic Requirement for Wheat Cultivation:
• 1. Wheat is a temperate crop but widely adapted to varying
climate conditions.
• 2. It needs cool, dry and clear climate for better growth and yield.
• 3. The optimum temperature range for growth is between 70C to
210C.
• 4. The rainfall requirement is 750 to 1600 mm/year.
• 5. Hot and humid climate is harmful because it encourages the
infestation of diseases like rust, root rot etc.
• 6. In early growth stage, it requires cool temperature and dew
formation which increases tillering.
• 7. Very low temperature, cloudy atmosphere and frost during
grain filling stage is harmful.

11. B) Soil Requirement for Wheat Cultivation:
1. Wheat crop is grown in different types of soils
ranging from desert soil to heavy clay soil.
2. Well drained, fertile clay loam soils having
moderate water holding capacity are ideal for
irrigated wheat.
3. Heavy soil with open structure which can retain
the monsoon rainfall for longer period is ideal for
dry wheat crop.
4. In M.S. black soils (regurs) are most suitable for
cultivation of wheat.

13. Preparation of land (Tillage):
1. Wheat crop requires well pulverized but compact seedbed for
good and uniform germination.
2. The seed bed should not be cloddy or dusty.
3. Preparatory tillage operations varies with type of cultivation i.e.
whether grown as rainfed orirrigated crop.
Tillage for Dry or Rainfed Wheat Crop:
i) Usually land is kept fallow in monsoon season.
ii) During monsoon 3 to 5 harrowings are given to remove the
weed to conserve the moisture.
iii) Land is ploughed deep with an iron
plough or tractor, once in about three years.
iv) After cessation of monsoon one shallow harrowing is given
and compaction of land is done with the help of ladder just before
sowing.

14. Tillage for Irrigated Wheat Crop:
i) Usually wheat is taken as second crop after kharif as irrigated
crop.
ii) The field is cross ploughed by tractor after the harvest of
kharif crop.
iii) 3 to 4 harrowing are given for crushing the clods and the
stables of previous crop, weeds are picked to make the field
clean.
iv) One pre-soaking irrigation is given to the field 4 to 5 days
prior to sowing.
v) After wapsa condition harrowing and plankings are given to
prepare final seed bed for sowing.
vi) Saras are made with the help of sarayantra or bund former
and irrigation channels are opened by running ridger between
two rows of saras after sowing of wheat.

15. Selection of Wheat Seed for Sowing:
1. Well developed, bold seed should be collected
from fully dried crop and stored separately.
2. The seed should be healthy and free from seed
borne diseases.
3. It should be free from admixture of weed seed.
4. It should be stirred one to two times during hot
period of the day.
5. The dried seed should be then stored in doubled
layer gunny bags and Polythene for sowing in new
season.

17. Organo Mercurial Treatment:
1. The seed be treated with mercurial fungicides like agroson, vitavex,
thiram @ 2.5 to 3 gm/kg seed.
2. The treatment is given by using rotating type seed treating drum.
3. This treatment is given to prevent diseases like flag smut, foot rot,
wilt etc.
Hot Water Treatment:
1. Wheat seed is soaked in hot water at 520 C temperature for 10
minutes before sowing.
2.This treatment is given for the control of diseases like alternaria
blight, smut etc.

18. Sowing

19. i) The seed is broadcasted and covered by giving harrowing.
ii) This method is followed in the north India on light alluvial
soil having sufficient moisture in the surface layer.
iii) This method is inefficient because of poor germination
and irregular plant stand.
iv) It requires more seed rate than drilling method.

20. Sowing Time:
1. The sowing time of wheat depend upon temperature, type of
cultivation i.e. dry or irrigated and duration of wheat varieties.
2. In Maharashtra optimum sowing time is late October to early
November.
3. Usually rainfed crop is sown from 15th to 30th October and
irrigated crop from 1st to 15th November.
4. Early October sowing when day temperatures are high results in
mortality of seedling due to foot rot or root rot disease.
5. While late sowing in last week of November of December give low
yield.
6. However the right time of sowing of wheat is early winter when
freezing of coconut oil starts.

21. Sowing Direction:
1. Basically wheat is a long day crop but in winter day period is short hence
sowing direction should be such that would allow maximum interception of
sunlight and promote.
2. During winter direction of sun over India is south-south-east to west-
north-west.
3. Therefore sowing is done north-north-east or north-south direction to get
higher yield.
Sowing Depth:
1. Wheat seed should be placed in a moist zone for better germination and
establishment of seedling.
2. Under rainfed condition when crop taken on residual moisture sowing is
done at 8 to 10 cm depth.
3. Under irrigation condition the sowing is done at 3 to 5 cm depth after pre-
sowing irrigation.
4. Dwarf Mexican wheat varieties have a very short coleoptiles and hence
sown only upto 5 cm depth.

22. Seed Rate and Sowing Distance (Spacing) for Wheat
Cultivation:
Seed Rate:
1. Seedrate of wheat depend upon the variety, sowing method, type of
cultivation and time of sowing.
2. Seed rate of wheat varies from 44 to 132 kg/ha.
3. For Mexican variety optimum seed rate is 88 kg/ha. under average soil
conditions.
4. Higher seed rate is used in case of late sowing to reduce the loss in yield.
Sowing Distance (Spacing):
1. In case of drilling method spacing depends upon variety, type of soil,
type of cultivation and time ofsowing.
2. Generally rainfed wheat crop is sown at 30 cm distance and irrigated
wheat crop is sown at 22.5cm distance between two rows.
3. The variety having less tillering habit should be sown at closer
distance than profusely tillering habit.
4. Similarly in delayed sowing spacing should be brought closer than
timely sowing.
5. It means spacing of wheat is 22.5 to 30 cm between two rows.

23. Intercultural Operations:
1. Usually no intercultural is given to the rainfed wheat crop.
2. But in case of irrigated crop one hoeing is done when the crop is about 15
to 18 days old to remove the weeds and prolongs the first irrigation.
3. In addition to this one to two hand weedings are also given for aerating the
soil and light earthing up.
Rotation:
It is not desirable to grow wheat year after year on the same piece of
land.
The rotations followed in wheat care:
i) Mungbean/Fellow/soyabean (kharif) – wheat (rabi)
ii) Paddy/Bajra/Jowar (kharif)- wheat (rabi)
iii) Groundnut/Sesamum (kharif)- wheat (rabi)
iv) On irrigated lands wheat is rotated with Cotton,
Sugarcane and Mustard.

24. Mixed Cropping:
1. Usually 12 different types of crops are sown mixed with wheat.
2. Among these gram, linseed and mustard are very commonly grown mixed
with wheat.
3. Mixed cropping in dry cultivation is followed to safe guard the crop stand.
4. Mixed cropping with legume (gram) improves the nitrogen status of the
soil.
5. It is done either by mixing wheat seed with seeds of gram or by sowing 15
rows of wheat alternated with 3 rows of gram crop.
Manuring in Wheat Cultivation:
1. FYM to compost @ 25 to 30 t/ha is added at the time of land preparation
before last harrowing.
2. Fertilizer dose for rainfed crop is 50kg N, 25KgP2O5 and 25Kg K2O/ha.
3. All NPK dose is applied at the time of sowing in case of rainfed crop.
4. Fetilizer dose for irrigated crop is 100Kg N, 50Kg P and 50Kg K/ha.
5. In this case ½ dose of N and full dose of P and K is applied at the time of
sowing.
6. Remaining ½ dose of N is given after about 20 to 25 days at the time of
first irrigation.

25. Salient Features of Fertilizer Application of Wheat Crop:
1. The response of wheat to organic manure is less as compared to
fertilizers but it helps in improving structure of the soil and moisture
holding capacity.
2. The irrigated wheat crop with Mexican varieties gives good response to N
but lower response to P and K.
3. The response to the application of nitrogen along with the phosphorous
is better than the application of N and P alone.
4. Different agro climatic regions show different response to fertilizer.
5. Indo-Gangetic alluvial soil gives better response to fertilizers than black
cotton soil of Maharashtra.
6. The response to the fertilizer is also depend upon time of sowing
spacing, seed rate, method of fertilizer application, variety etc.
7. Drilling of fertilizer at 6 cm depth below the seed gives better response
than broadcasting.
8. Different type of Nitrogenous fertilizer give more or less equal response
but in some cases ammonium sulphate nitrate has proved better than
others.
9. Foliar application of urea in addition to part application on through soil at
sowing give good response in case of rainfed wheat.

26. Irrigation for Wheat Cultivation:
1. Rainfed wheat crop is grown on residual moisture in soil and dew formed
during winter.
2. In this case according to availability of water on to two irrigation at crown
root initiation and flowering stage may be given to obtain good yield.
3. For irrigated wheat crop five to six irrigations are given at 20-21 days
interval.
4. First presoaking irrigation is given before preparing the final seedbed get
better crop stand.
5. Other irrigations are given at critical stages of growth. These stages are:
i) C.R.I. stage (Crown root initiation) after 20 to 25 days of sowing to
promote tillering.
ii) Late tillering stage.
iii) Earring or heading stage.
iv) Flowering stage.
v) Milk or Dough or grain formation stage.
6. Out of these CRI stage is the most critical stage for irrigation in wheat,
because any shortage of moisture at this stage results in less tillering,
formation of small eartheads and great reduction in yield.
7. Last irrigation is help full only for dwarf wheat but for tall growing wheat it
may result in lodging of the crop.

27. Harvesting and Yield of Wheat Cultivation

28. Harvesting:
1. Harvesting time of wheat depends upon the variety and type of
cultivation i.e. Whether rainfed or irrigated.
2. Rainfed crop reaches the harvest stage much earlier than the irrigated
crop.
3. It is harvested when the grains harden and the straw becomes dry.
4. Harvesting is done by cutting crop close to ground level with sickle.
5. The plants are tied in small bundles and kept to dry under sun for few
days.
6. Threshing is done by trampling under bullocks feeds or by a stone-roller
or by thresher.
7. In recent year harvesting id done by reapers in bigger wheat plots in
which operations like harvesting threshing, cleaning and bagging are done
at the same time.

29. Average Yield of wheat is –
A) For Local Varieties:
1. Rainfed crop - 300 to 400 kg/ha.
2. Irrigated crop - 1000 to 1200 kg/ha.
B) For Mexican Varieties:
1. Rainfed crop - 1500 to 2000 kg/ha.
2. Irrigated crop - 3500 to 4000 kg/ha.
Yield:

30. Quality of Wheat
1. Physical Quality:
The wheat grain should be amber coloured, bold, longwish-oval in
shape.
2. Nutritional Quality:
Wheat grain contains proteins, starch, fat, minerals and vitamins. But
the nutritional quality is judged on the basis of protein content wheat
grains and classified as low protein (< 8% protein), medium protein (8 to
12% protein) and high protein (> 12% protein).
3. Milling Quality:
The milling quality is judged by the easiness in milling and yield of flour
obtained after milling.
4. Chapatee Making Quality:
The flour should be medium strong and have a high water absorbing
capacity. The dough should be non sticky, pliable, elastic and
extensible. While baking chapatee should puff fully and taste sweetish.

31. 5. Bread Making Quality:
The flour should have a high water absorbing capacity and the dough must
be of good elasticity and stability. After baking it should produce loaf of a
large volume, good internal crumb, structure, golden brown crust.
6. Biscuits Making Quality:
For biscuits flour should be soft and weak or pliable but non elastic.
7. Rawa or Suji Making Quality:
The hard wheat is more suitable for suji because of their strong gluten.
8. Straw Quality:
The straw should be soft and palatable.

32. Nutrition Quality of Wheat:
i) Wheat grain contains proteins, starch, soluble sugars, cellulose, fat,
minerals like P and Fe and vitaminslike thiamin and riboflavin.
ii) On the basis of protein content wheat grains are classified into three
categories.
a) Low protein content : below 8% protein.
b) Medium protein content : 8 to 12% protein.
c) High protein content : above 12% protein
iii) Specially gluten and lysine percentage of the proteins decides the
quality of wheat.
iv) Gulten content is very important because it largely affects the
quality of bread and other pastry products.

33. Flour Quality for Chapatee and Bread
Flour Quality for Chapatee:
i) The flour should have a high water absorbing capacity.
ii) It should make a dough which is not sticky, pliable, elastic and extensible.
iii) While baking chapatee should puff fully and rapidly.
iv) Chapatee should be palatable and sweetish in taste.
v) It should have a good keeping quality.
vi) The flour should have about 13 to 14% protein of which 3% is lysine.
vii) The sedimentation value should be 25 to 35ml.
viii) The sedimentation value should be 120 to 150 min.
ix) Total sugar content should be 2.5 p.c.
x) Diastatic activity between 200 to 300 mg maltose per 10 gm. Flour.
Flour Quality for Bread:
i) The flour should have a high water absorbing capacity.
ii)The dough should have good elasticity, stability and baking quality.
iii) After baking it should produce loaf of a large volume, good internal
crumb, structure, golden browncrust.
iv) 90% variation in the bread is due to its protein contents.
v) The gulten percentage in the flour largely affects the quality of bread.

34. Important Pests of Wheat:
1. Termites (White ants)
2. Rats
3. Cutworms
4. Stem borer
Termites:
Symptoms:
1. The termites (worker group) feed on the roots and underground stem.
2. The damaged plants are dry up and are easily pulled out.
Cutworms:
Symptoms:
The caterpillars of cutworms remain hidden under the soil during day-time and
cut the plants of soil level and feed on them during night-time.
Control Measure:
Mix 5% aldrin powder @ 125 kg/ha. at the time of land preparation
Stem-borer:
Symptoms:
1. The caterpillar bore into the stem and tillers and feed on central shoot.
2. Finally there is formation of dead hearts.

35. Control Measure:
1. Pull out and destroy dead-hearts.
2. Spray 0.05% endosulfan.
Rats:
Symptoms:
1. Rats cause heavy losses by directly feeding on the wheat crop.
2. Their borrowings in the soil lead to lodging of the crop.
Control Measure:
1. Rat are controlled by using the zinc phosphide poison basis and
selphos tablets.
2. One part of zinc phosphide and some oil is mixed in 50 parts of wheat
flour and small balls (baits) are prepared.
3. One ball is put in every rat hole and close the mouth of hole by wet soil.
4. Next day put half pellet of 3 gm selphos in holes that have been opened
and close the properly to killthe remaining rats.
5. Repeat the process twice at 15 to 20 days interval.
6. If such operations has been done on mass scale the rats can be
controlled completely.

36. Important Diseases of Wheat:
1. Rust
2. Flag smut
3. Leaf blight (Alternaria blight)
4. Foot rot
5. Loose smut
1. Rust:
Symptoms:
1. Wheat crop is affected by three types of rusts i.e. black, brown and
yellow.
2. In case of black rust elongated brown colored pustules (rusty outgrowth
of fungus) are appeared on stalk, leaf sheath and leaves which further turn
black and burst.
3. In case of brown rust small, rounded, reddish brown pustules are formed
on leaves in clusters which further burst and turn black.
4. In case of yellow rust strips of yellow coloured pustules are occurred on
leaves and stalks.
5. All the rusts result in reduction in yield as well as quality of grains and
straw.
6. High yielding varieties of irrigated wheat are more susceptible to rust.

37. Control Measure:
1. Grow rust resistant varieties and avoid late sowing.
2. Do not use excess dose of nitrogenous fertilizers.
3. Spray a mixture of 10kg urea + 1875 gm Zineb (dithane Z-78) in 500 lit.
water for two times at flag leaf stage and flowering stage.
4. Dust fine sulphur @ 30 kg/ha. at 4 days interval.
2. Loose Smut:
Symptoms:
1. The flag leaf turn yellow and starts drying from the tip which later
becomes brownish in colour.
2. The spikelets are affected and black powder is produced in place of
wheat grains.
Control Measure:
1. Solar heat treatment or hot water treatment to seed.
2.Grow resistant varieties.
3. Rogue out diseased ear heads and destroy them by burning.

38. 3. Flag smut:
Symptoms:
1. First grayish-black, long streak appears on leaves.
2. Later these streaks rupture and black powdery mass of spores
comes out.
3. The affected leaves become twisted and assume a drooping habit
(flagging) fallowed by withering.
4. Affected plant remains stunted and there is no ear formation.
Control Measure:
1. Grow resistant varieties.
2. Seed treatment with agrosan or ceresin @ 2.5 gm/kg seed.
3. Rogue out diseased plants and destroy them by burning.

39. 4. Foot rot:
Symptoms:
1. First dark brown patches appear on collar region of plant which
later on get rottened.
2. Affected plant turns yellow and dries up.
Control Measure:
1. Seed treatment with agrosan or ceresan @ 2.5 gm/kg seed.
2. Avoid heavy irrigation for seed bed preparation.