Rains in North India lead to 'lodging' in paddy fields, may impact yield

Exact damage yet to be ascertained; IMD says monsoon may withdraw from Sept 29

The sudden increase in rainfall intensity over north and central parts of the country in the last few days could impact final yield of paddy in those fields where 'lodging' has taken place as the rains that came at the fag-end of the southwest monsoon season were also accompanied by strong winds, farm scientists and experts said.

Lodging is the bending over of crops, mainly cereals, near the ground level that makes them difficult to harvest and leads to lower yields. Lodging mainly occurs when rains are accompanied by heavy winds in excess of 25 kilometres per hour. 

However, the exact quantum of damage and extent of loss will be ascertained only after a proper assessment is made. Apart from paddy, the standing cotton crop has also been impacted in Haryana and Punjab. 

In Central India, soybean and pulses crops, too, have been hit but the loss isn't big enough as the showers have been followed by relatively bright sunshine, which has helped in absorbing soil moisture.

"In paddy growing areas of Haryana, Punjab and Western Uttar Pradesh, there have been complaints of lodging in some fields and yields might go down in them, especially if the crop is in the harvesting stage, while in those fields where the crop hasn't yet matured enough, there might not be any big damage because the stems are flexible enough to resurrect after flattening," K K Singh, head of agromet division of India Meteorological Department (IMD), told Business Standard. 

"In Western UP districts of Baghpat, Meerut, Muzzafarnagar, and Mathura, and areas surrounding the Yamuna river in Haryana, paddy fields have been impacted due to the sudden rains and heavy winds. However, the exact extent of damage is yet to be ascertained," a senior scientist from a Krishi Vikas Kendra said.

With regard to soybean and pulses, Sunil Dutt Billore, director of Indore-based Indian Institute of Soybean Research (IISR), said that so far, they haven't received any information of any big or large-scale damage to standing soybean crop from anywhere in Madhya Pradesh because, after few days of good rains, the sky has opened up to bright sunshine, which should dry up the fields. 

The retreating southwest monsoon caused heavy rains in parts of North, Central and West India over the weekend under the influence of a low-pressure area and cyclonic movements. 

According to a PTI report, the showers triggered flash floods and landslides in the hill states of northern India with at least eight people killed on Monday in rain-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.  

A 'red alert' was issued in Punjab where educational institutes have been ordered to remain closed on Tuesday. Schools have been closed in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir and in most places of Himachal Pradesh. 

Between September 20 to 22, the country received around 25.5 millimetres of rainfall, which was 71 per cent more than normal with much of this confined in northern and central India.  

The rains lowered the cumulative seasonal deficit by one per cent to nine per cent less than normal, but much of the shortfall was on account of low rains in the initial part of the four-month season. 

"From Tuesday onwards, the rainfall intensity will go down and from Wednesday, the region might see bright sunshine," Mahesh Palawat, chief meteorologist at private weather forecasting agency Skymet, said. 

The IMD, meanwhile, said that southwest monsoon would start withdrawing from September 29, a delay of almost a month from its usual withdrawal date.

"Withdrawal of southwest monsoon is very likely to commence from western parts of Rajasthan around 29th September," a statement released by the met department said. 

Monsoon impact 

• Unusually heavy retreating monsoon damages paddy fields in Haryana, Punjab and West UP
• Several instances of lodging reported from paddy fields, which could lower yields
• Cotton crop also impacted
• Soybean fields in MP report flattening
• States governments assessing the exact quantum of damage to standing kharif crops
• IMD says monsoon withdrawal might start from September 29