The All India Coordinated Wheat and Barley Improvement Project (AICW&BIP), Kalyani Centre at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal carried out the coordinated wheat and barley experiments at District Seed Farm (AB Block), Kalyani with the financial assistance from Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (ICAR), Karnal and Government of West Bengal with physical facilities from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya.

Year of start/establishment of the Project: 1972-73

• To evaluate suitable promising genotypes of wheat under different agro-climatic situations with special emphasis on irrigated timely sown, rainfed timely sown and irrigated late sown conditions.
• To develop agro-techniques for increasing productivity of wheat under irrigated and rainfed situations.
• To work out technology for fitting wheat crop in multiple cropping sequences, especially in rice-wheat systems.
• To evaluate suitable disease resistant germplasm against foliar blight.
• To transfer and popularize the proven technologies to the farmers like replacement of old varieties with newly released high yielding ones, judicious application of inputs, etc. through Front Line Demonstrations and other Extension Education Programmes

FLD conducted

Technology developed:

• Requirement of N, P₂O₅ and K₂O for newly released high yielding wheat varieties grown under different situations have been recommended as follows:
• Irrigated timely sown wheat: 150: 60: 40 kg/ha (one third nitrogen, full phosphorus and potash as basal and the remaining 1/3rd nitrogen at 21 DAS and another 1/3 N at 42-45 DAS; Seed rate: 100 kg/ha)
• Irrigated late sown wheat: 120 60: 40 kg/ha(fertilizer application same as above, Seed rate: 125 kg/ha)
• Rainfed timely sown wheat: 60-80: 30:20 kg/ha(basal application of fertilizers, Seed rate 125 kg/ha)
• Zero tillage (tillage for sowing only) in sandy loam to silty loam soils after kharif rice advances wheat sowing for a week or two and minimizes the cost of cultivation resulting in economic return.
• Surface seeding of wheat after kharif rice along with suitable weed management has been proved to be a beneficial second crop.
• Hoeing at 21 days after sowing (DAS) of wheat in between rows coupled with the application of isoguard plus @ 1250 g/ha at 30 DAS is most economical method of weed management resulting in higher net return. Only single hoeing at 21 DAS is proved to be effective labour-saving method as compared to single manual weeding.

The following newly released high yielding wheat varieties have been identified under different situations in West Bengal

• Irrigated timely sown (18-25 November): HD 2967, PBW 343, HD 2733, K0307, CBW 38, K 9107 and DBW 39. (35-40 q ha-1).
• Irrigated late sown (15-22 December): DBW 107, HD 2643, HW 2045, NW 2036, HUW 234 and DBW 14 (30-35 q ha-1).
• Irrigated very late sown (1-7 January): HUW 234, NW 2036, HD 2985 and DBW 14 (20-22 q ha-1).
• Rainfed timely sown (10-15 November) : HD 2888, MACS 6145, K 8027 and C 306 (14-18 q ha-1).
• Salt tolerant high yielding wheat varieties: KRL 19, KRL 210 and KRL 213 [N, P2O5 and K2O @ 120: 30: 40 kg ha-1 (one third nitrogen, full phosphorus and potash as basal and the remaining 1/3rd nitrogen at 21 DAS and another 1/3 N at 42-45 DAS); Seed rate: 125 kg ha-1]

• AICW&BIP, Kalayani Centre is maintaining approximately 200 germplasm of wheat collected from different National & International organizations.
• Involve in hybridization programme to retrieve potential high yielding, rust and blight resistant lines.
• Handling of segregating materials and selection of superior genotypes.
• Involve in screening of heat tolerant and high yielding lines potential suitable for West Bengal as well as in India.
• Conducting workshops cum training programme and farmer’s awareness programme.
• Many M.Sc and  Ph.D students areworking under the project for different research programme.

• Publication: 18
• Training programme: 7
• Field day : 5
• Leaflets: 3
• Presented papers National & International seminar symposium: 11