Vontaar Syndicate

Press, 26 November 1982, Page 24

Vontaar Syndicate

Direct drilling with the normal amount of Rongotea seed wheat, low per cent emergence and average application of nitrogenous fertiliser characterised the Wheat 82 entry of the Vontaar Syndicate.

The syndicate consists of Mr Edger Taege, an agricultural engineer, Mr Morris King, farmer, and Mr lan Whillans, farmer.

Mr King farms 280 ha and averages 67 ha of wheat each season. Mr Whillans farms 224 ha and has averaged 25 ha of wheat.

The syndicate’s first move was to flatten the growth with 1.5 litres of Roundup

per hectare on May 3. It direct drilled 110 kg of Rongotea per hectare (Baytan treated) with 11 kg per hectare of Dasanit and 20 kg per hectare of Diammonium Phosphate. This was done one week after spraying. Germination was 94 per cent but the plant count at five weeks, or two-leaf stage, was only 152 per square metre and the emergence only a whisker over 60 per cent.

Despite a Ravensdown soil nitrate test of 14 p.p.m., the syndicate chose to put on 50 kg per hectare of urea and 100 kg of ammonium sulphate, giving a total of 44 units of N per hectare. This was done on August 5. They also used the new weed control chemical Glean at 10 gram per hectare and made two applications of Bayleton, the first on September 15 of 250 grams per hectare and the second on November 5 of 400 grams per hectare. The syndicate saved a considerable part of the establishment costs in ground preparation by direct drilling but have used a range of chemicals to bring a low strike to full production capability. Hugh Horn Mr Hugh Horn, of Oxford is really out to prove the virtues of added nitrogen in the Wheat 82 competition. Mr Horn’s half-hectare plot had a Ravensdown soil nitrate test of <3O p.p.m. on August 19. This figure is considerably in advance of the 10 p.p.m. of soil nitrates which the Ministry of Agriculture considered was sufficient to grow a 6.6 tonne per hectare crop without irrigation on its trial plots at the Wheat 82 competition site. ■ Nevertheless Mr Horn spread a further 300 kg per hectare of ammonium sulphate on September 9. This gave him the second highest applied N rate on top of the highest soil N count. Mr Horn conventionally cultivated in April, with two grubbings followed by the plough. After a further grubbing he sowed compara-

tively later on June 11. He sowed 109 kg per hectare of Baytan-treated Rongotea and got an 89 per cent germination. Nearly two months later, because of the late sowing time, at the two leaf stage there was a plant count of 160 per square metre. This indicated 71 per cent emergence of viable seed.

In addition to the ammonium sulphate spread, Mr Horn used 4 litres per hectare of Cearex 4 and 500 grams per hectare of Bayleton.

Mr Horn farms 260 ha and averages. about 20 ha of wheat.

Dr Robert Williams

The dark horse of the wheat 82 competition, Dr Robert Williams, of Springston, has taken a good deal of advice in growing his wheat crop. He has also taken a traditional approach to cultivation, but added one refinement — chicken litter spread after the major working of the ground. The half-hectare plot was ploughed on March 31 and left until April 21 when it was grubbed twice.

It was rolled a week later and a further 10 days later the 5 tonnes of chicken litter spread (a rate of 10 tonnes to the hectare).

This was dutch harrowed and then given a light grub in mid-May. Drilling was done at this time and 136 kg per hectare of Rongotea (Baytan-treated) was grown and gave a 92 per cent germination.

One month later at the one leaf stage 200 plants per square metre were visible. This was an emergence of 62 per cent of viable seed. No nitrogenous fertiliser was applied as the soil nitrate test was 28 parts per million.

Weed control input has been heavy, with applications of 2 litres of M.C.P.A., 0.25 litres of dicamba, and 2 litres of Cycocel per hectare on September 30. Dr Williams has also ap-

plied two lots of Bayleton, the first on September 30 and the second on November 5. Both applications were of 500 grams per hectare.

Dr Williams has a 30 ha property at Springston and he has grown 6 ha of Rongotea on average over the past two years, the length of time he has been on the property. He is a medical practitioner. Wright Bros The farming heavyweight team of Sir Allan and Mr Ness Wright, well-known for their work in Federated Farmers, has taken a traditional approach to wheat crop establishment and been rewarded with a high emergence in the Wheat 82 competition.

Two working lifetimes of experience on 600 ha of Sheffield country and average wheat sowings of 150 ha per year must count substantially in the favour of the Wright Brothers. Early cultivation was a rotary hoeing followed by the plough and a light grub in the early days of April. The ground was given two further light grubbings on April 24 and May 11. It was also drilled on the last date with 144 kg of Baytan-treated Rongotea with 100 kg per hectare of D.A.P., which gave 18 units of N per hectare. The germination was a high 98 per . cent and the plant count, at 211 per square metre, gave a good emergence, at 71 per cent. The soil nitrate test indicated 11 parts per million and the Wright Brothers applied 65kg of urea (30 units of N) and one litre of Weedar 77 and 440 grams per hectare of Bayleton on September 24. The Bayleton application was repeated on November 2.

Michael Midgely

No-fuss cultivation of Oroua wheat has characterised the entry of Mr Michael Midgely, of Timaru, in the Wheat 82 competition. Mr Midgely, who has farmed 188 ha at Timaru for 25 years, has grown around 35ha of Oroua in each of the last two seasons and he has chosen this variety for the Lincoln-based competition.

The better resistance of this variety to stem rust meant that Mr Midgely had not sprayed with Bayleton up until the middle of November. '

His ground preparation was begun on March 22 with two passes of grubbing and

M.A.F.

harrowing. One month later he harrowed and rolled, then ploughed and then a further two months later he grubbed and harrowed again. His plot was drilled on July 6 with Baytan-treated Oroua at 118 kg per hectare sown. The grain had a thousand grain weight of 39.6 grams and germination was 88 per cent. About six weeks later at . the two leaf stage the plant count was 194 per square metres and the emergence of viable seed was 63 per. cent.

A Ravensdown soil nitrate test showed 30 parts per million over the 60cm soil interval so Mr Midgely did not put on any nitrogenous fertiliser. In comparison with some of the other contestants it is in the area of weed and pest control that Mr Midgely’s nofuss style is evident. He has only applied two litres per hectare of Buctril M on September 30, thereby keeping spraying costs to a mini-, mum. This may help him to register a high net financial return per hectare even if he has lost in comparison on yield. But whether Mr Midgely’s regime has in fact resulted in a lower yield than the more complicated ones of his competitors remains to be seen.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is actively involved in the Wheat 82 competition by the growing of two small plots of wheat, following the same rules as the competing farmers: The plots, are 25m by 20m in size. One plot represents the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries management package for wheat which the Ministry has been promoting to the farming community for the last three-four years. .The other plot represents a conventional approach to the growing of wheat as of about five years ago. The M.A.F. management package plot was sown with Baytan-treated Rongotea wheat on May. 5. The high soil test results indicated that no seed-bed fertiliser would need to be applied.

After a poor emergence of only 68 per cent, caused by a cloddy seed-bed with no frost in May, and an invasion of blue bat mites, only 180 plants per square metre were established rather than the 210 that was aimed for. However, the establishment of 180 plants per square metre was considered adequate for Rongotea.

Nitrogen soil tests, to a depth of 30cm, were taken in late July. The results indicated that there would be enough nitrogen available to support a 6.6 tonne per hectare crop of wheat. Since this was a realistic yield potential for this area without irrigation, no nitrogen was applied in the spring.

The use of a new herbicide (Glean) meant that weeds were removed early. In fact it was applied in mid-August as a tank-mix with an insecticide which was applied to control the cereal aphid and

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES AT WHEAT 82

the possible problem of barley yellow dwarf virus which is'associated with early sowing.

The only disease to show up to date has been stripe rust, which was first seen in the crop on September 29 and appropriate action was taken the following day. One further spray was required for stripe rust in early November.

The conventional plot was sown with Vitaflo treated Kopara wheat on June 11, with a standard dressing of 200 kg per hectare of flowmaster super. The crop was left until late September when it was sprayed with herbicide and because stripe rust was very evident in the base of the crop, a fungicide was included in the tank-mix when it was sprayed in early October. No further treatments are anticipated.

1 MAF MANAGEMENT PACKAGE J CONVENTIONAL APPROACH i 1 CULTIVATION 1 '■ Light grub (x 2} 13.4.82 Plough (x 1) 30.4.82 Light grub (x 1) 6.5.82 I Light grub (x 2) t 13.4.82 Plough (x 1) 30.4.82 Light grub • (x‘2) 11.6.82 " 1 DRILLING Drill 7.5.82 Drill 200kg Flowmaster) 11.6.82 SEED Rongotea (Baytan treated) 134kg/ha sown Thousand grain weight 50. Og Germination 96% Kopara (Vitaflo treated)' 122kg/ha sown Thousand grain weight 45,0g. Germination 95% ESTABLISHMENT Plant count (177/m 2 ) ’ 11.6.82 Percent emergerice 68% Plant count (221/m 2 ) 26.7.82 Percent emergence 811 N. SOIL TEST 9 ppm (0-60cm) 28.8.82 NITROGENOUS FERTILISER None None WEED, PEST & DISEASE CONTROL Glean 20g/ha ) Bidrin 400mls) 17.8.82 /ha ) Bayleton 500g/ha 30.9.82 Bayleton 500g/ha 11.11.82 Weed & Disease Spray Trident 3.0 4/ha Bayleton 5’00g/ha 5.10.82

Details' of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries trial wheat crops at the Wheat 82 site. These details are printed in the official programme for every contestant.