Dry weather may have cut wheat yields by 25%

摘要

Wheat yields could have already been cut by a quarter due to the severe lack of rainfall over the past three months, according to figures from Broom's Barn Research Station. Rothamsted Research's wheat growth model estimated yields for a crop grown onBroom's Barn's sandy loam soil would be 1.11/ ha, assuming weather returned to average from 16 May onwards, said Eric Ober, drought tolerance research group leader. That compared with 10. lt/ha for the same crop under no drought stress. "The model assumed the crop was not nitrogen-limited," said Dr Ober.