RESISTANCE OAT TRIALS

Southland Times, Issue 23308, 18 September 1937, Page 14

RESISTANCE OAT TRIALS

VARIETY TESTS IN SOUTHLAND ENCOURAGING RESULTS OBTAINED The Resistance oat variety trials conducted by the Department of Agriculture in Southland have yielded encouraging results. Although the trials have not yet been extensive enough to justify unqualified predictions, they merit the close attention of the farming community. In Eastern Southland, where there was an adverse season for oats, particularly about harvest time, one trial was completed and weights taken. The four varieties sown were Resistance, Lampton, Black Supreme and Garton s Abundance. Eight replications of each varieties were sown on land that had previously been cropped for turnips, and in each case 2 cwt. of superphosphate were applied to the acre. The following table shows the seeding in lbs an acre and the yield in bushels an acre for each variety:— Varieties. Seeding in Yield in bushIbs an acre els an acre Resistance 120.6 89.3 Lampton T 27.7 not threshed Black Supreme 120.0 74.1 Garton’s Abundance 122.7 68.3 The Lampton variety was badly sprouted and was discarded. In other trials in the district which were not cut and weighed, it was observed that the Resistance were all very late in maturing, but they appeared to stand well, a point worthy of note as the crops generally lodged very badly this year. It has been suggested that this variety might be autumn sown. If this were done, it might perhaps be used for early feed

for ewes and afterwards closed up and cut. In Eastern Southland the general appearance of this oat was good, being heavy headed with a fine strong straw. It would appear to be good for both threshing and chaffing. At Tisbury a trial was sown on medium soil in the centre of a block of Garton’s Abundance. The Resistance oats were shorter in the straw, but exceptionally well headed and according to one farmer the sheaf was like a sheaf of wheat. At Mossburn a trial was put down on heavy land on the outside of a field of Gartons, and although shorter in the straw, were welb headed and standing, whereas the Gartons lodged badly. A similar result was noted on heavy terrace land at Papatotara. where these two varieties were again placed side by side. On the department’s experimental farm at Winton a crop of Resistance oats, sown on medium land, matured a week later than an area of Garton’s Abundance put down the same time, but once again they were better headed, and did not lodge nearly as badly as the Gartons. The department has made arrangements to sow at least six further trials this spring.