The influence of weather on the yield of wheat in New Zealand with special reference to Meyer Ratio : Thesis for M.Agr.Sc. [i.e. Master of Agricultural Science] and Honours

Abstract

New Zealand with an area of 100,000 sq. miles lies between 34° 6'8 and 47° 20'S latitude,and 166° 30'E and 178° 30'E longitude (Fig. 1). The country is surrounded by a vast expanse of sea,the only land mass in the neighbourhood being Australia which is more than a thousand miles away. The situation in the Pacific Ocean brings it under the influence of Oceanic conditions and its position in the middle latitudes means that it is subject to weather changes that are common in Temperate zone between the high pressure area of the Sub-tropics and the low pressure region over the Southern Ocean. As a result of the nature and distribution of relief in New Zealand varied climatic differences ranging from cool to warm, and super - humid to arid are found in the country. In this study it is intended to analyse some of the salient weather factors affecting wheat - a crop of vital importance. The name of wheat is associated with the biblical stories of the first creation of man. Its cultivation and utilisation is older than the written history. At the dawn of history it was commonly cultivated in Western Asia. The expansion of its production and greater utilisation has spread with human civilisation. Today it is the chief bread crop of the world and in feeding the whole human race is second only to rice in staple food.