Average yield well up

Press, 9 March 1984, Page 21

Average yield well up

High yields in the ICITasman Wheat 83 competition reflected the wet growing season. Compared with yields in the Wheat 82 competition average yields were 1.9 tonnes per hectare higher.

The highest yield this year was 7.89 tonnes and the

lowest was 5.86 tonnes.

Last year yields ranged from 5.66 tonnes to 4.28 tonnes.

The growing season for Wheat 82 was exceptionally dry, but yields for the competition wre still above average.

Average yield for Wheat 82 was 5.09 tonnes per hectare.

Yields for Wheat 83 broadly fell into three groups: around 7.5 tonnes, arund 6.5 tonnes, and below 6 tonnes.

This generally related to the amount of nitrogen applied to the individual plots.

The highest group applied the most nitrogen — from 70 to 80 kg of nitrogen per hectare. Four out of the nine competitors harvested category B wheat, including the second and third placegetters. There were a number of different disease-control

strategies among the competitors in Wheat 83. Some opted for preventative spray programmes; others adopted the wait and see approach.