Cereal 85 a test of quality

Press, 20 September 1985, Page 11

Cereal 85 a test of quality

Six of the 10 competitors in the ICI Cereal 85 wheat competition have chosen premium, but lower-yielding cultivars. The choice of cultivars reflected the concern of competitors in growing for quality and market realisation, according to Dr Warwick Scott, senior lecturer in plant science at Lincoln College.

Three had sown Weka, two Oroua and one Otane; the other four competitors had sown Advantage, last year’s over-all winning cultivar.

Dr Scott said that no Rongotea had been sown in the competition, but this variety had been widely used in the earlier wheat competitions. All the competition plots were sown in May, except that of Peter and Ann Robinson, of Horrelville, who sowed Otane on August 1.

The dry weather in May had hampered cultivation, because the ground was hard and the turf was slow to rot down. Had the conditions been more favourable some of the competitors

would have sown earlier. Dr Scott said that the first to sow was Mr Selwyn Hughes, of Springston, who used irrigation to assist with early seedbed preparation.

All competitors, except Mr Bruce Lovett, of Asburton Forks, used conventional cultivation to establish their crops. Mr Lovett’s crop was direct drilled after he had applied herbicide; earlier he had irrigated to produce sufficient leaf cover for spraying. Tramlining, a practice widely used on British and European farms, is being used by two competitors, Mr Geoff Scott, Mitcham, and Messrs Jim and Alan Brooker, of Aylesbury.

This is the first time that tramlining has been used on the wheat competitions plots. Tramlining is the practice of not sowing some rows in the paddock to allow for the movement of machinery during subsequent passes. Accurately-placed tramlines together with suitablymatched application equip-

ment ensured more precise application of chemicals, with minimum damage to the crop, said Dr Scott. No major weed or pest problem had been obvious so far this year, although with the drier winter there was an increased likelihood of cereal aphids which could spread barley yellow dwarf virus through the crops. Competitors have irrigation available this year, but the overhead and operational costs of supplying water would be charged

against each competitor’s plot. Reserves of soil water are low because of the low average rainfall in autumn and early winter. Dr Scott said that plant counts at the two-leaf stage showed counts from 300, on the plot of Mr Geoff Scott, sown with Weka, to 180 on Mr Lovett’s Oroua plot. Second-highest plant count was that of the Robinsons with 260. Other counts were Mr Selwyn Hughes (Advantage) 220; the Brookers (Weka)

210; Mr Bruce Smith (Advantage), of Broadfield, 200; Mr' Richard Quin (Advantage) of Highbank, the Nordean Syndicate (Weka), of Mount Hutt, Mr Murray Greenwood (Advantage), of Southbridge, and Mr David Bell (Oroua), of Winchmore, all with 190.

The contest’s field days will be held on Wednesday, November 27, and Thursday, November 28, on the Lincoln College mixed cropping farm near the college crossroads.