A 79-year-old farmer in Henan wipes away tears while holding germinated wheat. What impact does rain have on the wheat that emerges?

A few days ago, a photo of an "old farmer wiping tears while holding sprouted wheat in his hands" attracted a lot of attention on social platforms, with many netizens expressing concern and sympathy.

It is reported that this old farmer lives in Zheng'an Town, Zhongmu County, Zhengzhou, Henan, and is 79 years old this year. The reason why people are holding germinated wheat in their hands and wiping their tears is because the continuous rainfall has caused wheat to sprout, which will also lead to a reduction of at least one-third of the wheat harvest. Looking forward to the stars and the moon, waiting for the wheat that we have worked so hard to plant to be harvested, but we did not expect that such a situation would occur, which will make anyone miss it.

So what impact does rain have on the wheat that emerges from the ears? Mainly manifested in the following three aspects:

First of all, it is definitely not conducive to the pollination and fertilization of wheat. Farmers or friends in rural areas may know that when wheat ears bloom, it is also an important period for fertilization and pollination. If there is long-term rainy weather at this time, it will definitely affect wheat pollination and fertilization.

Moreover, rain will cause the weather temperature to drop, especially in extreme weather and heavy rainstorms. It will cause the pollen tubes of wheat to absorb water and swell and crack. The result of the cracking is empty wheat ears. This kind of low-quality wheat is basically unavailable in the market. In the end, it can only be sold at a low price or used to feed livestock.

There is also the risk of pests and diseases. If wheat encounters continuous rainy weather during the earing period, scab spores will increase. Because the wheat is in the flowering stage at this time, the shell is open, so it will give more opportunities for scab to spread. If the wheat If the disease resistance is relatively weak, widespread infections will occur.

Not only is head blight very harmful, but if it rains for a long time when the ear is emerging, many pests and diseases will also take advantage of it. For example, borers, midges, etc. will also attack the wheat that emerges, causing damage to the crop. The quality has declined to a certain extent.

Furthermore, it reduces wheat yield. I also mentioned in the previous article that long-term rainy weather will lead to a reduction in wheat yields after earing, because the wheat at this time is in a critical period of water demand. If it rains for a long time, it will be difficult for the wheat roots to absorb oxygen and the absorption of nutrients will be reduced, which will indirectly lead to a decrease in the thousand-kernel weight of the wheat and thus a reduction in yield. In this regard, the advice given by relevant professionals is: "After waiting for sunny days, we should seize the time to spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Generally, 150 to 200 grams of 99% potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be used per acre, so as to avoid wheat yield reduction."< /p>

In addition, I would like to say that this rainfall in Henan may cause wheat production to decrease by 20% compared with previous years. Henan’s wheat production accounts for about 1/4 of the country, which will have an impact on the country’s food security. . In addition, wheat is the main raw material for making bread and pasta. Reduced production will lead to an increase in the prices of related products, affecting the operations of the catering industry and harming the interests of the public.

Of course, this will also indirectly cause food prices to rise to a certain extent. Before the heavy rain in Henan, when the overall wheat harvest was good, the price of wheat here was around 1.3 yuan. However, after the heavy rain in Henan, the price of wheat here rose directly from 1.3 to 1.5 yuan. It benefits some farmers, but large price fluctuations are not conducive to the stability of the overall market.

It is not easy for farmers to grow crops, and it is even harder to make some money. We hereby appeal to all sectors of society to give them enough attention and help.