2024/25 Autumn Cultivar Book

Planting a crop consisting of multiple cereal cultivars (cultivar mixtures) enhances genetic diversity, which can improve both seasonal and long-term agronomic performance and slow or reduce disease spread. To assess the viability of this approach for feed wheat production under current commercial conditions in New Zealand, FAR conducted a series of field trials in Chertsey, Mid Canterbury, between 2021 and 2024.

Read the booklet for the 2025 autumn round up series here. 

Harvest Snippets provides a harvest season summary. Find all the 2024/2025 season harvest snippets here.

Part 2 of the 2024 Cereal Disease Management Strategy provides an overview of the research behind the development of this strategy. It’s the ‘extra for experts’ part, providing in-depth information that will help you to understand how and why to prioritise your fungicide spend.

The AIMI survey of New Zealand cereal growers, as at October 1, 2024 is now available online.

T1 and T2 applications provide the majority of disease control, yield benefits, and economic returns. However, adding a T3 spray often creates the best balance in a fungicide programme. A T3 application is timed to protect the 22% of yield linked to the leaf sheath and ear, but need for it will depend on seasonal disease pressure. This update outlines examples of balanced and targeted fungicide programmes which will aid profitability and reduce pressure on both cultivars and chemistry.

Missed the 2024 North Island cereals and seed management field days, catch up on the booklet here. 

For milling wheat, achieving the required grain protein can be the difference between achieving a premium price or being down graded to the feed price on the open market. This update discusses the impact of applied nitrogen timing and rates on milling wheat yield, protein and profitability.

This is the final DRAFT of the 2024 Cereal Disease Management Strategy. The final version will be uploaded once proof reading has been completed.

This update outlines fungicide mixtures for the T2 application timing in spring barley for the control of disease including scald, leaf rust, net blotch and Ramularia leaf spot (RLS).