Good wheat yields

Press, Issue 32535, 19 February 1971, Page 12

Good wheat yields

Because a lot of wheat these days is harvested in bulk, farmers are frequently unable to give accurate figures for yields on specific areas, but it seems that if wheat crops have not always come up to earlier expectations this season there have still been some very good results. Mr D. F. Eder, who farms at Sefton, in North Canterbury, believes that an area of about 10 acres of Aotea on his property yielded about 85 bushels or better, but he says that it is only an estimate as the crop was harvested in bulk. It was grown on silty loam, but with some shingle fans through .it, and the paddock has had five grain crops in it in six seasons. This season’s wheat crop followed oats. The area was sown on June 15 and Mr Eder says that he normally sows about 1} bushels of seed to the acre. No fertiliser was used. In the winter he says that the area looked miserable, but it picked up considerably in the spring, apparently getting showers at the right times. There has been a big improvement in wheat yields on the property of Messrs W. D. and I. H. Hayman in the Willowbridge district in South Canterbury this season. In 1969 when they had only 12 inches of rain for the year they fed off half of their wheat. Last year although

the annual rainfall was only about 15} inches Mr I. H. Hayman said that yields had been very good. Over an area of 90 acres of Aotea Mr Hayman said that the avenge yield had been about 80 bushels to the acre. As this area was also harvested in bulk yields for particular areas are a matter for some conjecture but Mr Hayman says it is believed that two paddocks covering 30 acres must have yielded 100 bushels to the acre. The crops were On land which has been cropped regularly for about 100 years. Sowing was started in June and completed by mid-July, with two bushels of seed and about 1 cwt of serpentine superphosphate being drilled to the acre. In the same district on another property 140 acres in wheat, including 50 acres in Arawa and 90 acres in Aotea, averaged about 63 bushels. Again this area was harvested in bulk but it is thought that one paddock of 12 acres of Aotea yielded better than 100 bushels. At the other end of the scale crops on the property ranged down to 45 bushels.

The wheat, except for one I paddock, was sown between | the end of June and the* middle of July. The other peddock, of Arawa, was sown in early September. The seeding rate was about 2} bushels to the acre with IJ.cwt of reverted super being sown with second crops and also sometimes where crops are sown out of grass, depending on the paddockin the previous drought season when 100 acres were in wheat 75 tons was harvested. This season two paddocks of about 12 and nine acres of Zephyr barley have also yielded about the 100 bushels mark. The barley is sown at 2} bushels to the acre, also with 1} cwt of reverted super.