This book outlines trial-specific yields and individual cultivar disease ratings for autumn sown wheat and barley cultivars included in the 2025-2026 CPT trials.
The 2025–26 season was highly variable, with localised weather events significantly affecting grain yields and quality across many regions.
In Canterbury, conditions were even more challenging than in 2024–25. Several FAR trials were lost due to poor establishment and waterlogging (dryland autumn feed wheat at St Andrews), take-all (irrigated feed wheat at Methven), sharp eyespot (irrigated and dryland autumn feed wheat at Chertsey), a late-season disease complex (autumn milling wheat at Greendale), and hail damage (irrigated autumn feed barley at Chertsey). Mild spring conditions also contributed to increased incidence and severity of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). This, combined with an influx of wet-season diseases following post-Christmas rainfall, resulted in disappointing yields in some trials.
Despite these localised challenges, many growers benefited from a dry, though windy, spring that allowed key management inputs to be applied at optimal timings. Low foliar disease pressure during October and November also supported crop performance, with some trials exceeding.