NEW VARIETY OF WHEAT

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27638, 20 April 1955, Page 14

NEW VARIETY OF WHEAT

ARAWA RELEASED TO GROWERS

A new variety of wheat, bred by the Crop Research Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, will be released to growers as a replacement for the Dreadnought variety. This was decided by the Wheat Research Committee at a meeting held yesterday. The new wheat will be known as Arawa, and was developed by a long and intricate process of breeding that extended over 15 years. 'The main advantage of the new wheat, is that it may be direct headed and does not require windrowing. It is also superior to Dreadnought in baking quality and about equal in milling quality, and ripens two weeks earlier, but does not produce such a high yield.

Mr H. E. Fairey, as the representative of the baking industry, said that he objected to the release of any variety of wheat inferior to Cross 7, which was regarded by bakers as a good quality wheat. “At present, bakers are unable to produce a consistently good loaf and there is no margin for a reduction in the quality of the flour,” he said. Mr R. McPherson said that there was very, little, if any, Dreadnought flour used in the baking of bread, but there was a great demand for it as a biscuit flour.

Mr A. H. Spratt said that it was desirable that New Zealand should try to become self-supporting in the production of high quality wheat. The new wheat should be released, but the committee should stipulate which district it was to be released in. He said there was a definite resistance t>y «i arn L ers to S r °wing new varieties. No harm could be done by releasing this new variety,” said Mr C. C Leitch, fields superintendent of the Department of Agriculture. “It is equal to, or better than the wheat a £ y gr ? wn J n th e areas where it will be released. It will replace an inferior wheat and is easier for farmers to handle,” he said.