Wheat blends survey for article in CPM magazine

[Mike Abram]

Hi everyone

I'm writing a piece for CPM magazine next month looking at wheat blends and would really appreciate some help to understand if you're growing them, why, and what are the key factors you're looking for when you put together a blend.

To help answer these and generally gain some more background for the article I've put together a short survey which I'm hoping as many of you who have tried wheat blends in the past, or are interested in doing so in the future, would find a spare 10 mins or so to answer please!

Link to survey here: https://qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dbfT3GH0VOWTmo6

Thanks!

Mike Abram
Freelance agricultural journalist

 

[ajd132]

Done it. I am not very impressed with the blend we have grown

 

[Mike Abram]

Thanks @ajd132. What's been the issue?

 

[Two Tone]

Professor Martin Wolfe (former Plant Pathologists for PBI) was very interested in blends.
The theory being that if any of 3 varieties suffered a disease, the other 2 would at least still give a good yield.
In practice, he found that the other 2 would protect the susceptible variety and that it would still perform well.

He even experimented with blends of crops like wheat plus winter beans and spring barley plus peas.


When he retired in the 90’s, I and my 2 brothers helped him set up the Wakelyns Agroforestry Project, in which he grew blends of cereals grown in avenues between blends of trees. The idea being for countries where they need to grow there own food, fuel and building materials.


I grew blends of winter Barley and Wheat, quite successfully with seriously reduced fungicide usage.
Sinclair McGill were the seed suppliers.