FORETELLING CROPS
BRANCH OF BOTANIC
RESEARCH BASED ON WEATHER
HELPS ESTIMATE OF FARM
YIELDS
Application of new knowledge in "phenology/' the study of plant growth in relation to weather, so that forecasts of crop yield might be made, proved a highly instructive part of discussions at the recent meeting of the Royal Meteorological Society in London. Dr B. A. Keen, Fresident, pointed out that Ministry forecasts of crop yields relied upon the new branch of research for formulating policies and actions of state. The earlier and more accurate fyrecasts, he implied, the greater their value.
One important fact emerging from the conference was that while meteorological conditions are a major factor in determining crops, it is practically impossible to make a direct forecast of any crop based upon such conditions alone.
Wild plants are studied by the several stations where work is being carried out under a joint committee of the Meteorological Office and the Ministry of Agriculture. In gereral it is felt there are distinct possibilities for achieving a prediction formula of crop yield through use of data obtained from wild things.
Prof. A. G. Tansley, chairman of the subcommittee in the Ministry of Agriculture, supervises a number of phenological stations throughout the country where plants observed are grown in special gardens. These are seven years old. Thus different plants are grown under the same conditions in the same garden, while the same plants are grew n under varying conditions at different gardens.
To obtain the most precise results, plants from th< l same hereditary strain are • distiibuted for growing. Plants grown for observation in the Ministry's gardtn during the past seven years include snowdrop, hazel, wood anemone, Iliac, ox-eye daisy, wild rose, wild piivet, and autumn crocus. An analysis of observations
shows that April-June flowerings have k'Sj variability than those occurring earlier and later.
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Bibliographic details
Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LXIV, Issue 6582, 3 November 1939, Page 3
Word Count
306FORETELLING CROPS Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LXIV, Issue 6582, 3 November 1939, Page 3
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