The FAR cultivar evaluation booklet is now in its seventh season and continues to provide quality usable information for growers. The collation of cultivar information in an easily accessible and readable independent document is viewed by many as a valuable management tool.
The wet weather through the country has certainly slowed down harvest. Many standing crops began sprouting with growers unable to harvest soon enough due to the wet weather. Combined with frost and hail earlier in the season it hasn’t been the easiest of seasons. Low rainfall and warmer temperatures throughout summer increased the importance of good irrigation management. At the FAR arable site in Mid Canterbury, irrigation improved yields by 4t/ha in the autumn sown feed wheat cultivar trials.
When this year’s harvest is compared with the 4 year mean, irrigated crops have performed relatively similarly. For example, at the Norwood milling wheat trial the average yield was 0.4 t/ ha above the 4 year mean at 10.4 t/ha and at Wakanui 0.6 t/ha above the 4 year mean at 12.1 t/ha. Dryland crops in Canterbury have not fared as well. For example, at Methven the yield was 2.5 t/ha down on the 4 year mean at 8.1 t/ha.
In other regions, autumn wheat yields taken for the cultivar performance trials illustrated that Southland yields (recorded at Balfour) were about average at 10 t/ha, whereas in Southern North Island, yields were 1.2 t/ha above average.
The Cereal Performance Trials (CPT) was again a cooperative effort between FAR, several of the major seed companies and the Flour Millers Association. FAR manages CPT2 which is the second stage of cultivar testing where the commercial (and a few pre-commercial) cultivars are evaluated. CPT1 is a collaboration between the seed companies for testing advanced breeders material from which the most favourable cultivars progress into CPT2.
FAR welcomes any queries or suggestions to further improve these booklets, or if you require any additional information that we have not included please contact us.
Best of luck with the coming season!
Rob Craigie
Cereal Project Manager