BIG SWING TO AOTEA

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29016, 3 October 1959, Page 8

BIG SWING TO AOTEA

Trend In Wheat Sowings A notable feature of wheat sowing estimates for Canterbury issued this week by the fields superintendent of the Department of Agriculture in Christchurch. Mr A. R. Dingwall, is the swing to Aotea.

Mr Dingwall says that last season Arawa was the predominant variety. This year Aotea, which was released commercially for the first time in the 1958-59 season. has replaced Arawa and throughout Canterbury is estimated to comprise nearly 88 per cent, of the total acreage sown—--118,400 acres out of an estimated 135,000 acres. Of the remaining 12 per cent., Arawa contributes 10 per cent, and other varieties—mainly Cross 7, Hilgendorf and Dreadnought—2 per cent. The growing of Arawa has been confined mostly to South Canterbury and to a lesser extent to the heavier wheat land in North and Mid-Canterbury. It has virtually replaced Dreadnought in all districts where the latter variety was formerly predominant. Standard Variety

“Aotea has now assumed the rate of the standard variety, a position occupied for many years

by Cross 7 and temporarily by Arawa,” said Mr Dingwall. “Cross 7 has diminished rapidly in importance and now occupies only about 1 per cent, of the total acreage. Hilgendorf, which gained ground two seasons ago under the stimulus of premium payments, is also losing in popularity to the much higher yielding variety. Aotea."

Estimated sowings of Hilgendorf in Canterbury this year total 1290 acres.

The overall estimate for Canterbury sowings of 135,000 acres compares with a revised estimate of 112,000 acres for last season’s crop and 53,300 acres grown for threshing in the 1957-58 season. Thus in two seasons the acreage has increased about two and a half times and since last season the increase has been a little more than 20 per cent. “Throughout Canterbury the spring weather has so far been exceptionally dry, with cool to cold night temperatures." says Mr Dingwall, “and early rain would prove exceedingly beneficial to wheat crops. Recent rains in Marlborough will have relieved the position in that region.”