Ripe wheat crop vulnerable to fire, caution required: experts

Ludhiana, Apr 15 (UNI) The ripe golden wheat presents a spectacular view, but this crop is vulnerable to fire and just at the commencement of the harvesting season this year 43 acres of the crop have been destroyed in fires in Punjab.

Crop with high moisture content, nearing maturity can become a reason for such an accidental fire during harvesting or threshing. If the crop is moist, its straw becomes soft and flexible and it may wrap around the rotating shafts of a combine harvesterr to produce heat that leads to fire.

To avoid such a situation, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) experts have appealed to the farmers to harvest fully mature crop with the combine harvester. If the crop gains moisture due to rains give enough time to let it dry before threshing or harvesting operation.

There is minimal possibility of crop catching fire if it is dry, experts Jaskaran Singh Maini and S S Ahuja of PAU's Farm Power and Machinery department have advised.

According to the two experts electrical transformers and electric wires sometimes emit sparks that may ignite the standing wheat crop.

Sagging electric wires may produce sparks if they short circuit because of high velocity winds or under the weight of perching birds.

The experts have advised the farmers to manually harvest the ripe crop surrounding transformers and electric poles with sagging overhead wires. A 15 to 20-foot area around electric installations should be kept clear of the crop, they contended.

Sparks falling on the ground from melting fuse wires or burning wire joints will pose no danger of fire if the ground is bare and free from trash and dry crop.

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