Friday, March 29, 2024

Seed growers must stick together

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Shared relationships will be critical to the future of the global seed industry, American agronomist Nicole Anderson says.
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A keynote speaker at the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) annual Crops Expo, Anderson told New Zealand growers and industry experts the decline in people working in the field needed to be addressed.

“I believe a shared relationship will be critical to the seed industry, not just in NZ or America but globally.

“It will take the seed industries of Oregon, Denmark and NZ pooling resources, putting issues together and sharing data together to secure the future.

“It’s what we have to do – talk collaboratively about projects and carry them out together to make progress in this industry for us all globally,” she said.

There was no point in duplication and each could learn from the others.

Kiwi farmers could learn from the work in Oregon around herbicide-resistant ryegrass and Oregon farmers could learn how fertiliser use and irrigation had improved NZ seed crops.

NZ produced mostly forage grass seed but 90% of Oregon’s seed production was turf grass.

In 2015, amid drought, the state produced clover and grass seed worth US$425 million.

The state’s 1200 grass seed producers relied on natural rainfall and while farmers had their share of environmental regulations, they were far fewer than in NZ.

Crop residue burning had been banned but there were no fertiliser or nitrate restrictions.

Working at the Oregon State University, Anderson headed the group of Oregon seed-growing farmers and consultants on the NZ field trip.

Oregon was a major producer of cool-season forage and grass seed and recognised globally for its advanced seed industry.

Seed growers in the state produced virtually all of the US production of annual ryegrass, perennial ryegrass, bentgrass and fine fescue.

More than 200 seed conditioning plants in the Willamette Valley prepared the seed for market once harvest was complete.

Mild and moist winters with dry summers favoured seed development and harvest, making the valley an ideal place to produce high-quality seed.

But despite new sciences and the introduction of plant growth regulators aiding increased seed yields, weather conditions continued to play a part.

“We have room for improvement yet and drought years are prompting the use of water,” Anderson said.

“Most of our farmers are dryland and how we can manipulate our crops with irrigation is something we hope we can learn from NZ.”

The primary difference between Oregon and NZ soils was the difference in water-holding capacity.

In Oregon, organic matter was very high and clay content sometimes caused severe drainage problems during the rainy winter months.

Soil acidity was a common production problem in the valley requiring regular lime applications.

Slugs were a major issue for Oregon growers.

“Most Oregon seed producers identify slugs as their number one pest concern and while the gray field slug is the most common, up to eight non-native species have been identified in seed production fields.

“Needless to say slug bait is a significant expense to growers.”

Anderson acknowledged the long-standing relationship between Oregon and NZ seed researchers and extension personnel.

Research ideas, methods and data were openly exchanged, she said.

Compared to other cropping systems there were relatively few scientists working in seed production globally, making it much harder for seed yield advancements to move forward.

As resources dwindled there was significant loss of institutional knowledge.

“This makes it even more important for the next generation of seed production research professionals to work together, combining resources and energy to generate the best information possible for both Oregon and NZ growers,” Anderson said.

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