From the Ground Up, Issue 78

The Autumn Cereal Cultivar Evaluation Book for 2024/25 is now available to read.

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.

This Maize Update discusses key issues for consideration in the choice and establishment of over-winter cover crops, along with the results of a five-year trial at FAR’s Northern Crops Research Site which researched the potential for over-winter cover crops to suppress weeds in the following no-till maize grain crop.

Watch the recording for a webinar with FAR Senior Field Officer Ben Harvey on managing herbicide resistance pre-autumn sowing, covering what is herbicide resistance and methods to reduce the risk of herbicide resistance.

This FAR Focus on maize weed management covers research on issues maize growers currently face, including; Herbicide resistance, problem weeds, herbicide options and on-farm biosecurity. 

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

This arable extra discusses trial results from the 2024 herbicide screening trial at Kowhai Farm in Lincoln, Canterbury. 

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

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a highly invasive plant pest first detected in New Zealand in February 2022. Fall armyworm (FAW) larvae can feed on over 350 plant species and in New Zealand, the crops at most risk are sweetcorn and maize. This update outlines the pest's biology and behaviour and provides tips for identifying and managing fall armyworm in maize and sweet corn crops.

It was great to see 90 people at our NCRS maize field day last week. This day, along with a series of field events across the central North Island, introduced around 150 growers and industry reps to Jon Myhill and Kate Baker from the UK Maize growers Association.