The FAR cultivar evaluation booklet continues to highlight the performance of new cultivars entering the industry. There are three new feed cultivars in the spring barley trials this year Flora, Jolika and Sweeny. There are another three cultivars Bumpa, Snakebite and CRBA125 now in their second season of trialling. All of these cultivars are yielding above the 2009-10 Canterbury trial average showing that gains are being made with new genetic material. Of these cultivars, Bumpa has useful disease resistance as well. Jimpy previously a coded cultivar has now been accepted for malting. It has out performed other malting cultivars.
Overall, spring barley yields were close to the 4 year mean in Canterbury and Southland between 8 and 8.5 t/ha. However, the yield at the St Andrew’s dryland site was less than the 4 year mean at 5.8 t/ha compared with 7.9 t/ha reflecting the dry season.
Raffles and Morph had the highest yield in the Canterbury spring wheat trials. Sage was the highest yielding bread wheat. The spring wheat yield was up on the 4 year mean by 1 t/ha at 8.4 t/ha in Canterbury.
Two of the regular trial sites (Highbank spring barley and Chatton spring wheat) are not reported due to hail damage and excessive variability within trials.
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.
Rob Craigie
Cereals Project Manager