Bathinda: With the ideal wheat sowing window fast narrowing and nearly half of the crop yet to be planted in Punjab, farmers are racing to clear fields of paddy residue to complete sowing on time. The growing urgency has pushed up demand for crop residue management (CRM) machinery, and farmers unable to access the equipment are increasingly resorting to stubble burning, contributing to a sharp rise in farm fire incidents in recent days, farmers say.Nov 15-20 is generally considered the ideal period for wheat sowing, as temperatures during this time are conducive to the crop’s early tillering stage.Agricultural experts are also concerned about the expected strengthening of El Niño in the coming months. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), El Niño is likely to peak around Dec and persist through Feb 2027. The resulting warm and dry winter conditions could reduce soil moisture and alter temperature regimes critical for wheat growth, increasing the risk of heat stress during the grain-filling stage.Experts attribute the recent surge in farm fires largely to efforts to quickly clear fields for wheat sowing. The trend peaked on Diwali, when Punjab recorded 1,152 farm fire incidents in a single day.Although more than 95% of the paddy crop has been harvested, experts estimate that wheat sowing may take another fortnight to be completed. Farm fire incidents are therefore expected to continue until most fields are brought under the new crop.Punjab agriculture director Gurjit Singh Brar said, “Paddy harvesting is almost complete and wheat sowing has crossed the 50% mark. According to experts at Punjab Agricultural University, wheat sown up to the third week of Nov matures smoothly, and we expect the sowing process to be completed by Nov 20-22.” He added that the agriculture department is making concerted efforts to promote crop residue management.Another challenge is the lack of adequate wattar conditions across large parts of the state. Wattar refers to the optimum soil moisture level, neither too wet nor too dry, required for proper germination and uniform emergence of wheat seeds. Farmers typically irrigate fields after harvesting the previous crop and wait for the soil to reach a workable moisture level before tilling and sowing.Under proper wattar conditions, the soil crumbles into a fine tilth rather than forming hard clods or sticking to farm implements. Wheat seeds are then sown at a depth of 4-5 cm in rows spaced 20-22 cm apart, ensuring optimum root development and tillering, an agriculture department official said.
