RESPONSE OF WHEAT PARAMETERS TO SOWING DATE AND IRRIGATION SUPPLIED IN TERAI REGION OF NEPAL

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important staple food crops all around the world. It belongs to the family Poaceae. It has high dietary fiber content and is the good source of carbohydrate due to which it has wide cultivation in the entire world. It is the 3 rd most cultivated commercial crop in Nepal. It is most popular among terai region due to suitable climate and irrigation supply. Wheat is generally a winter season crop and its growth and yield highly depends upon various factors where sowing time and irrigation requirements are the major ones. Wheat sown at appropriate time with average water supply and minimum to average temperature contributes to high wheat production. Sowing in time leads the wheat to absorb adequate sunlight and harness it for increasing the production. Similarly ,6-7 irrigation supplied during the growth contributes to higher yield and good grain quality of wheat. With the advancement in technology improved seeds have been introduced in Nepal which are disease resistant. But still water stress resistant wheat varieties have not been introduced and researches are going on. So, sowing on time and providing irrigation is very important for good response of growth parameters and to attain maximum productivity of wheat.