6 December 1984 ICI Wheat 84 competition progress

Yields are likely to be lower and costs higher in the ICI Wheat 84 competition compared with last year's competition, according to Lincoln College plant scientist Dr Warwick Scott.

But the lower yields and higher costs may not be all bad news now that the basic wheat price had been increased to $274 a tonne from $227, he said.

Dr Scott was commenting on progress of the Wheat 84 crops after the successful field days on the competition site at Weedons late last week.

He predicted that top yields would be around 6.6 tonnes a hectare compared with eight tonnes a hectare last year.

Dr Scott and MAF adviser Mr Bede McCloy conducted tours around the 12 plots on the competition site on both field days.

"Bede McCloy pointed out that this year average costs were up by about 20 per cent," Dr Scott said.

"Two competitors appear to be in a favourable position : Sheffield farmer Alan Macdonald, and Mervyn Brenton, of Winchmore.

"Their plots are in a good position in a paddock where the soil is variable."

Dr Scott said the season had been exceptionally dry during winter and early spring, and there was some haying off on those plots where the soil was shallow.

Couch and associated fungus Take-all was variable all over the competition site, but had been kept in check by the dry season.

Recent heavy rain on the competition site came too late to affect several of the yield components, he said.

Six of the 12 plots, each of half an hectare, are planted with Advantage, four with Rongotea, and one each with Arawa and Oroua.

Two of the plots were direct drilled, and the other 10 were sown conventionally.

About a month before the field days Dr Scott took dry matter yields and tiller counts on the competition plots, and said at that time predicting the outcome would be "very difficult indeed."

He said this was because of the drought, the range of cultivars and diseases made interpretation and prediction much more complicated than last year.

The two ICI Wheat 84 field days drew a record crowd of more than 1800 over the two days.

There were 44 trade displays and 16 more display sites were taken than last year, when the competition site was on Springs Road between Lincoln College and Prebbleton.

Mr Jim Malcolm, organiser of this year's field days, said the location of Wheat 84 on the Main South Road one kilometre north of Rolleston had attracted the much bigger crowd.

Those taking part in Wheat 84 are competing to see who can get the highest net return from their half-hectare plots.

ICI gives the winner $7000 to study arable farming in Britain or Europe.

Second prize is a $720 Protimeter Grainmaster digital moisture meter, with grinder, compression cell and carry case, from Max Chesire Limited of Christchurch.

Wheat 84 is organised by representatives from DSIR Crop Research Division, Federated Farmers, Lincoln College, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the New Zealand Wheat Board, and the North Canterbury Agricultural Merchants Federation and United Wheat Growers Limited.

Wheat 84 is the third annual wheat competition administered by Lincoln College.

Further information from Dr Warwick Scott, Plant Science Department, Lincoln College, Canterbury, New Zealand.