Pakistan is facing issues to increase its agricultural productivity. There is a shortage of water, lack of education and technologies that have stopped us from maximizing our yields.
Therefore, this article covers a research from Punjab that has investigated several factors to understand how we can increase the yields of the wheat crops.
Wheat variety:
It is found that not all varieties can produce the same amount of yield. Sowing a better variety results in at least one maund/acre increase in yield. The better wheat varieties that exist in Punjab are known as “Galaxy” and “Faisalabad” as they provide more yield than any other variety tested.
Seed Type:
One reason behind low wheat yields is the use of home-grown seeds. It is found that certified seeds result in significantly more yield than home stored seeds.
Date of sowing:
It is seen that people sow wheat in the months of October, November, and December. Research has shown that wheat sowed in the month of November results in the maximum yield.
Sowing mode:
There are two methods that are commonly used to sow wheat: broad sowing and line sowing. It is found that per acre yield from line sowing is much higher than per acre yield from broad sowing.
Urea:
Urea is an essential component to provide the crop nitrogen. There are three quantities that are popularly used by farmers in Pakistan: 50kg, 100kg, and 150 kg. It is found that the minimum quantity, 50 kg, results in maximum yield of wheat.
DAP:
DAP is a fertilizer that is commonly used for wheat crops. Usually, farmers use around 50kg of DAP for their wheat crops. However, it is found that an additional 50kg use of DAP can significantly increase yields.
Irrigation method:
There are three irrigation methods used commonly by farmers in Pakistan: canal, tube, both canal and tube together. It is found that farmers that use both canal and tube together for irrigation have the maximum wheat yields.
In consequence, these are some ways that wheat crop yields can be increased as per researchers in Punjab.