Research probes frost impact on wheat yields

摘要

Western Australian research has revealed the extent of wheat yield losses caused by frost, and confirmed that sowing in high rainfall, frost prone areas should be delayed slightly to minimise losses. The simulation experiments have also confirmed thatfrost management involves a balancing act between sowing early to maximise yield potential, and sowing later to minimise frost damage risk. The research has been conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA), the Bureau of Meteorology andCSIRO and funded by the Managing Climate Variability (MCV) program. DAFWA has used data from 20 years of WA frost research to develop a frost-yield model to help predict wheat yield losses from frost.