Ludhiana, April 9 -- The recent unseasonal showers and strong winds on Tuesday and Wednesday nights resulted in significant lodging of the nearly ripe wheat crop across several districts of the state.

According to an assessment by agriculture officials, around 7-8% of the crop in the district suffered flooding due to rains and thunderstorms. Ludhiana chief agricultural officer Gurdeep Singh said, "We have assessed the damage caused to the wheat in various parts of the district and found around 7-8% crop affected due to thunderstorms along with light rain on Wednesday night."

Lodging affects the crop in two ways. First, when the plant falls, there is a chance that the stem may touch the ground and may be involved in rooting. This would s...