Strong wind, hailstorm flatten wheat crop

Amritsar, March 3

Strong wind along with a hailstorm and rain last night brought respite from the rising temperature, but at the same time left wheat growers worried as their crop was flattened in many parts of the district.

Though the district reported less rain than many other parts of the state, it was sufficient to damage the crop. Agriculture experts said most damage to crop was reported from fields which were irrigated recently.

“Strong wind flattens the crop as the soil around roots gets wet and softens after irrigation,” said Dr Jatinder Singh Gill, Chief Agriculture Officer. He said the least impact of the inclement weather was witnessed on fields which were not irrigated recently.

The agriculture official said at this stage, flattening of the crop would cause no problem. “But if it rained again in a few days, the chances of blackening of wheat grains would increase,” Dr Gill said, while adding that farmers should drain out excess water from their fields.

The rain started in various pockets of the district around 6 pm yesterday. First, the district witnessed hailstorm which was followed by intermittent rain till late night, said Mandeep Singh, a resident of Gandiwind village in Tarn Taran district. “The change in weather conditions has led to drop in temperature. Chill in the air can be felt once again,” he said.