Winchmore and the long-term trials: the early history

Abstract

Winchmore Irrigation Research Station was established in the late 1940s in the Ashburton–Lyndhurst irrigation scheme in Canterbury, New Zealand, to investigate problems associated with the introduction of border-strip irrigation to farming. Two large-scale field trials were established. The first, in 1949, aimed to investigate water requirements of permanent pasture and the second, in 1952, to examine fertiliser requirements of irrigated pasture. Initially designed to supply farmers with practical solutions, because of their longevity (61 and 58 years to date), consistent management, meticulous record keeping and archiving of regular soil and plant samples, both trials have yielded a rich source of material for many studies, some of which are reported in other papers in this issue of the journal.

Keywords:

• superphosphate
• pasture
• production
• phosphorus
• lime
• irrigation

Acknowledgements

Although the trials were designed and supervised over the years by scientists, the main acknowledgement should go to the many technicians and farm staff at Winchmore who carried out the tedious, boring and vitally important routine analyses associated.