Wheat Yield Best For Three Years

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30426, 28 April 1964, Page 6

Wheat Yield Best For Three Years

The average wheat yield in the Canterbury land district in the harvest just completed was 47.7 bushels to the acre, according to a survey made by the Department of Agriculture. The survey covered 604 growers with 25,000 acres of crop.

At 47.7 bushels to the acre the average was 7} bushels or about 18 per cent higher than last season’s average, the fields superintendent of the Department of Agriculture, in Christchurch, Mr A. R. Dingwall, said on Friday, and was 2} bushels above the estimated Canterbury averages for the previous three harvests. On the basis of similar surveys the department estimated the yield last season at slightly less than 40} bushels, in 1961-62 at slightly more than 41 bushels, and in 1960-61 at slightly better than 53 bushels. “In view of the vicissitudes of the past season the average yield is quite a satisfactory one,” commented Mr Dingwall. “I think that the yield this year would have been nearer the 50 bushel mark but for the unseasonable frost in November which affected the considerable acreage of Hilgendorf 61.” Mr Dingwall recalled that in the J 962-63 season Hilgendorf averaged 55| bushels in Canterbury, but this season it yielded only 41} bushels. However, in the most recent season, with seed of the new Hilgendorf available in quantity for. the first . time, it formed 28£ per cent of the crop covered by the survey. At the same time the percentage of the crop in Aotea had declined from 711 per cent in 1962-63 to. only 31J per cent in the past season and Arawa had increased from 23 per cent in 1962-63 to 36} per cent. Factors Mr Dingwall said that he did not know whether the survey had truly reflected the relative proportions of the crop in the various var-

ieties, but it disclosed a fairly significant trend. The decline in the popularity of Aotea could be attributed to the very poor Aotea season in 1962-63 when the variety yielded 37.7 bushels to the acre compared with 48 J bushels for Arawa and 55f bushels for Hilgendorf 61. Another factor had been the heavy demand for seed of higher quality Hilgendorf 61 wheat which was in good supply for the first time. In the most recent season Aotea and Arawa had both averaged about 50.6 bushels to the acre and Hilgendorf 41.7 bushels. •

On a regional basis the highest average yield was in South Canterbury where it was 51.1 bushels, followed by the central plains area between Rakaia and Waimakariri with an average of 49.2 bushels. Mid-Canterbury had the lowest average at 41.9. Aotea averaged up to 56.1 bushels in the central plains

area and Hilgendorf averaged only 37.1 bushels in Mid-Canterbury. Details of yields in the various regions of the province are shown in the following table (North Canterbury is the area north of the Waimakariri and the central plains the area between the Rakaia and Waimakariri)

ftfcj ■ rt bi < N. Cantv. 47.7 50.7 47.8 45.3 C. Plains 49.2 56.1 50.1 42.5 M. Canty. 41.9 44.5 47.0 37.1 S. Canty. 51.1 52.6 52.4 45.0 Overall Averages 47.7 50.6 50.6 41.7