The 2021-22 Spring sown wheat and barley cultivar evaluation book is out now. Look for it in your mailbox soon or read it online now.
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Spring sown crops experienced variable weather conditions throughout the 2021/22 season. Most cereal growing regions had a slow start in September, with cold wet soil conditions delaying drilling and slowing growth. This would ultimately effect yield potential.
Temperatures improved into October, however frequent rainfall events persisted. Most grain growing regions had above average monthly rainfall coupled with below average solar radiation, which prolonged harvest and led to lower yields and grain quality.
When averaging the site mean yield across all Canterbury CPT 2 spring sites, barley yields were back 1.5 tonne/hectare (t/ha) and wheat yields were back 0.8 t/ha when compared to the 4-year mean from last season.
Despite the Manawatu experiencing similar conditions to Canterbury, the dryland crops fared better with the extra rainfall. Wheat yields were similar to the 4-year mean from last season with barley yields up 0.9 t/ha when averaging across the two trial sites.
One of the only regions to experience favourable weather was Southland. Despite the slow start in September, conditions improved from October onwards with below average rainfall combined with above average temperatures and solar radiation producing some great yields and a timely harvest. Barley yields were up 2.4 t/ha on the 4-year mean from last season when averaging across the two trial sites.