A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2024-25 at the Agronomy Research Farm, Maharishi University of Information Technology, Lucknow (U.P.) to study the effect of sowing dates on the growth and yield of wheat (
Triticum aestivum L.). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications and eight sowing date treatments: 15 October, 30 October, 5 November, 15 November, 25 November, 5 December, 10 December, and 15 December 2024. The wheat variety HD 2967 was used for the study. The experimental soil was silt loam with low organic carbon (0.27%), low nitrogen (137.8 kg ha⁻¹), medium phosphorus (16.3 kg ha⁻¹), and medium potassium (250.12 kg ha⁻¹).
Significant differences were observed in all growth and yield parameters due to sowing dates. The crop sown on 15 November recorded the highest values of growth and yield attributes, including spike length, grains per spike, grain weight per spike, 1000-grain weight, and effective tillers per m², being statistically at par with the 25 November sowing. Early (October) and delayed (December) sowings resulted in lower values for these parameters. The maximum biological yield (135.13 q/ha) was recorded with the 15 November sowing, followed by the 25 November sowing. Thus, mid-November sowing was found to be optimum for achieving higher yield and better growth performance of wheat under the agro-climatic conditions of Lucknow.
