With the harvest season approaching, fresh spell of rain across Punjab has left farmers anxious, even as experts maintain there is no immediate cause for alarm.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall in Punjab and adjoining regions in the coming days, raising concerns about potential impact on standing wheat and other crops nearing maturity.Farmers in Patiala, Ludhiana and Sangrur said the untimely showers may affect crop quality.“At this stage, even slight weather disturbance can impact grain quality and delay harvesting,” said Gurpreet Singh from Patiala.While Director Agriculture Gurjeet Singh Brar was not available for comments, former Chief Agriculture Officer (Patiala) Jaswinder Singh said though the rain had been steady, it wasn’t accompanied by high-velocity winds, which are typically responsible for flattening of crops.Experts at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) advised farmers to avoid irrigating wheat fields.“As of now, farmers should not worry. The rain has been mild and consistent, which does not pose a threat to standing crops. The real concern arises when strong winds accompany rain,” said and agriculture scientist.Officials added that light to moderate rain at this stage could, in fact, be beneficial in maintaining soil moisture, provided it does not persist for long durations.Agriculture experts, however, cautioned that any shift in weather conditions — particularly gusty winds or hailstorms — could change the situation rapidly. Earlier, the temperature remained five degrees above normal in February and during the first two weeks of March, which had caused worries among wheat growers, as the heat stress may lead to thinning or shrivelling of grain. PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Gosal reassured that the phenomenon was linked to higher temperatures this year, but since temperatures had not crossed 35°C, the wheat crop remains safe.