Wheat sowing: sow by 30 November and choose a blast-resistant variety

12 November 2026 · 2 min read · Krishoker Thikana desk

Wheat blast arrived in Bangladesh in 2016 and damaged more than 15,000 hectares of wheat in its first year. It can cut yields by a quarter or more and sometimes wipes out whole fields, which is one reason many farmers have switched to maize or potato. The good news: two simple choices, timing and variety, lower the risk a great deal.

Sow between 15 and 30 November

A 23-year study by CIMMYT and the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI) found that yields fall by about 1.3% for every day sowing is delayed after 30 November, and that sowing around 25 November gave the best results. Late wheat heads out in the warm, humid weather of late February and March, which is exactly when blast spreads.

• If your land is ready, sow in the second half of November.
• If Aman harvest is late, use a quick-maturing variety and do not delay more than you must.
• Southern and central districts, where it is warmer and more humid, face the highest blast losses.

Choose a resistant or tolerant variety

• BARI Gom 33: released in 2017, blast-resistant and heat-tolerant. BWMRI scientists say it has become popular for exactly these reasons.
• Newer varieties from BWMRI, released since 2020, which researchers describe as blast-tolerant. Ask your Upazila Agriculture Office which ones are available in your area.
• Even resistant varieties can lose yield when disease pressure is very high, so combine a good variety with early sowing.

Buy certified seed from BADC, a licensed dealer or the Upazila Agriculture Office. Do not keep seed from a field that had blast.

Keep blast away

• Treat seed with a recommended seed-treating fungicide before sowing; ask your Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer which product and dose.
• Watch the crop at heading. Bleached, white ears with a dark spot on the stalk below them are a warning sign.
• If blast is reported in your area, a preventive fungicide spray at heading may be advised. Call 16123 or your agriculture office first, and follow the dose on the label.
• Avoid too much nitrogen fertiliser and keep the field free of weeds.

Where to get help

The Krishi Call Centre (16123) and your Upazila Agriculture Office give free advice. The Research & varieties and Seed sourcing sections of this site link to BWMRI, BADC and certified seed sellers.