Canty ‘needs more rain’

Press, 1 December 1982, Page 1

Canty ‘needs more rain’

More frequent. rain J is now needed to prise -Canterbury pasturelands-from, the grip of the long drought,- according to the senior.'-lecturer in agricultural-:riieteqfology at Lincoln < College, "Dr t Neil Cherry. '. The 30mm of rain, that fell round Lincoln in the last few days would take only three to four days- to evaporate completely, said Dr Cherry. The rain might give about four days of pasture growth.. After that, sheep would have to weather . a “no-growth" period until the next'rain:?,'Dr Cherry said that soil moisture content was a cumulative process. The recent 30mm of rain would have lasted longer had there already been moisture in the soil, but the ground round. Lincoln had been bone dry.at

the root "zone of pastures from'-- November 16 to November 27... Dr Cherry: said that the rain would Have been good for the development of grain in - cereal crops, which were generally “looking pretty good” in spite of the drought. The heavy rainfall at Labour Day week-end had come at the right time for germination of grain crops. About 17mm of rain was recorded in Christchurch in the 48 hours to 9 a.m. yesterday. There was little immediate hope of ; further breaking'rain, according to the Weather Office. The longrange forecast yesterday was for fine weather today and tomorrow, followed by a return to warm, dry, westerly conditions.