The weather has been mostly dry over Punjab and Haryana since February 1, and experts are worried that this may have an impact on our wheat crops.

This dry spell can be attributed to the absence of significant western disturbances or storm systems originating from the Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, the meteorological office said on Sunday. 

Agricultural experts warned that the high temperatures and lack of precipitation might impact the wheat crop in both states, the country's prominent granaries.

It asked the farmers if light irrigation could be provided if the crop appeared to be under stress.

It said that the current maximum temperature in Punjab and Haryana is 4-5°C above average, whereas the minimum is 3-5 degrees above average.

According to the Met office, weather is likely to be mainly dry over most parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh in the next four to five days. Light drizzles are possible at isolated places over Pathankot, Gurdaspur, and Hoshiarpur districts and adjoining areas of Punjab on February 20, over Panchkula and adjoining areas of Haryana on February 21.

No significant change is likely in the maximum and minimum in the next four-five days over both states, including Chandigarh.

As per experts of Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, if this trend continues in the coming days, this might lead to adverse effects on the wheat crop.

As the crop is approaching the reproductive growth period, which is sensitive to temperature, the high temperature during the post-anthesis period could lead to a loss in yield, said the PAU.

Source - https://weather.com