R&D and Agronomy
R&D
PGG Wrightson Grain is one of the largest private investors in
cereal research in New Zealand, with a proven record in plant
breeding and overseas cultivar evaluation, and agronomy staff
who develop best management practices for the benefit of growers
and end-users.
The programme involves both in-house plant breeding, focused on
milling wheat, and screening and evaluation of overseas
feed/biscuit wheat, feed barley, feed triticale, milling ryecorn,
feed oats and linseed, and a joint plant breeding and
evaluation programme with Plant & Food Research
which focuses on the coloured cereals (i.e. purple wheat).
R&D staff are located at the Kimihia Research
Centre, Lincoln, Canterbury. Cereal research
and agronomy is coordinated from Kimihia
with trials located on large scale arable farms
throughout the South Island.
Agronomy Group
PGG Wrightson Grain is committed to ensuring the profitability
of its cereal growers through continual cultivar development
backed by high quality agronomy services. Growers have access
to this agronomy service through our Agronomy Group Membership
package, facilitated by independent specialist agronomists.
This extension advisory service is supported by a comprehensive
field trials programme aimed at optimising the performance of new
cultivars. Yield and quality are key criteria while we also remain
focused on the overall cost of production. In addition to new
cereal cultivar development, new crops are assessed and developed
in conjunction with market opportunities, the most recent example
being the faba bean crop which has promising potential. The
trials also evaluate new agrichemicals, usually while they are
still in their development phase. There is scope within the
R&D programme to conduct trials in any other aspect of crop
production where a need is identified. Often this can be for
industry good and such work is sometimes carried out in conjunction
with other New Zealand or international industry
partners. Current examples of this include fertiliser and pH
/ lime related trials.
Membership of a PGG Wrightson Grain Agronomy Group provides the
grower with 6 technical Topcrop newsletters per year and
periodic e-gronomy™
bulletins via email. These newsletters provide
production management information and rapid updates in
response to seasonal developments. A winter Technical
Conference in July presents latest industry research and
industry guest speakers, and the December Field Day is based
around visits to key trial sites and presentations by PGG
Wrightson Grain staff and other industry
participants. The membership package also includes access to
our Soil Mineral Nitrogen testing and recommendation service and to
some of the UK's top research scientists at ADAS via an exclusive
research contract. Our agronomy staff are
members and maintain close contact with the UK's NIAB TAG
research group and the UK's pulse industry body, the PGRO.
Membership of PGG Wrightson Grain's Agronomy Group gives you the
opportunity to receive the latest crop management information
and join in a group of positive and
progressive minded growers.
Sign Up Form
Please click here to fill in an Agronomy
Group form if you are interested in joining a PGG Wrightson
Grain Agronomy Group.
For more information please contact: