Phenological and yield responses of wheat to sowing dates and varieties in Punjab: An agro-climatic index approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59797/ija.v70i4.6887Keywords:
Hygro-thermal units, Solar radiation, Solar thermal degree days, WheatAbstract
The present study was conducted to evaluate indices that offer critical insights into crop phenology and yield responses of wheat varieties under varying sowing dates during rabi season of 2023-24. The experiment was carried out at Research Farm, Department of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab. The split-plot experiment consisted of three wheat varieties (‘PBW 826’, ‘PBW 766’ and Unnat ‘PBW 550’) in main plots and three sowing dates (6th November (D1), 24th November (D2) and 12th December (D3) in sub plots. The findings indicated that wheat sown on 6th November exhibited the maximum accumulation of growing degree days (GDD) (1,773.72 oC day) and hygrothermal units (HGTU) (117,039.50 °C day %). Conversely, crop sown on 12th December recorded the lowest accumulation of GDD and HGTU, while early-sown crop exhibited reduced solar thermal degree days (STDD) accumulation. Among sowing dates, wheat sown on 6th November resulted in higher grain yield. Moreover, wheat sown on 12th December acquired the highest accumulated solar thermal degree days (49,241.20 °C day MJ/m2) among other dates to reach physiological maturity. Indices like STDD, HGTU and GDD are highly useful in optimizing sowing time and hence to enhance crop productivity under changing climatic scenario.
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