A Review of Rain-Fed Wheat Production Constraints in Zambia

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important food crop in Zambia. It is the second most widely grown cereal crop after maize. However, its production and productivity during summer rain season is limited by socio-economic, abiotic and biotic constraints. The socio-economic factors limiting high wheat yield are high cost of inputs, lack of improved rain-fed wheat seed, lack of affordable loans, lack of access to market information and poor mechanization. The abiotic constraints on the other hand include drought, high temperature and aluminium toxicity. Biotic constraints affecting rain-fed wheat production include various weeds, pests (aphids, grass hoppers, pink stalk borers and termites) and diseases (powderly mildew, loose smut, leaf rust, fusarium head blight and spot blotch). Termites being the most serious and destructive pest of rain-fed wheat. Spot blotch is the most devastating and widely distributed among the diseases causing high yield losses of between 7-100% followed by fusarium head blight. This review paper, looks at the factors that limit the production and productivity of rain-fed wheat among small holder farmers in Zambia.