Growing wheat seems to be a profitable venture worth going into considering efforts by government to diversify our oil dependent economy.
The best time to start planting wheat is from 15th November to 15th December and it takes 100 to 120 days to mature and be ready for harvest.
High yielding varieties include Atilla, Norman, Reyna 28, Ceppia and Seri 82 which are heat tolerant and adaptable to our environment.
Wheat, which is a temperate crop, grows only in the northern states of Nigeria that witness the harmattan season – that is from Kaduna State up north. It requires well drained soil and does not tolerate salinity and acidity of soil.
It could be planted using drilling, dibbing or broadcasting. However drilling is recommended because it provides higher yield and suppresses weeds.
Wheat has a fertiliser requirement of 120kg of Nitrogen (Urea), about 50kg Phosphorus (SSP) and 50kg Potassium each per hectare.
Half of the nitrogen requirement and the whole phosphorus and potassium requirement should be applied at planting while the remaining nitrogen should be applied at six weeks after planting for optimum results.
For vertisol soils around the Lake Chad area of Borno State, irrigation should be done once in two to three weeks but in Kadawa area of Kano State, irrigation is best done once in two weeks. Similarly, for sandy soils like those found in Sokoto basin, irrigation is done once every week.
Weed is generally not a problem in wheat cultivation, however, it needs a good environment and early planting ensures that wheat grows very fast and suppresses weed.
Stem borer is the major pest of wheat in Nigeria. It can be controlled by treating seeds before planting with Apron Star or Apron Plus at 2kg to 3kg of wheat per sachet.
Furadan may be used for fumigation if infestation is high. Pests like rodents and birds could also be a problem if farm is located in isolated areas.
The grains are harvested manually by cutting the stalks and winnowed to remove the chaff and should be stored in a clean store that is well ventilated with good air circulation.
Information by Professor I. U. Abubakar, the Director of the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) in Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna State.
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