Spring milling wheat as a ‘nitrogen scavenger’ in the North Island

The use of wheat in the farm system should be considered as an effective nitrogen (N) mitigation technique. Wheat as an N scavenger crop does not add to the amount of N leaching and will utilise some N which is deposited in the deeper layers. For soils with large amounts of N sitting in the lower profiles, below the depth of root penetration of pastures, the use of wheat as an N scavenger is a worthwhile mitigation to reduce the risk of N leaching losses.

In most seasons it is possible to produce high-quality milling wheat and the use of wheat in a farm system has minimal impact on the financial performance of the farm.

The reduction in GHG emissions were significant for wheat in the dairy farm systems. Although the extreme rainfall in this trial was not conducive to producing high yields and quality milling wheat, associated cultivar trials indicated good yields and quality can be achieved.