SF3,
There is really practical issue here.
Simply put, as the Midge insects attack/reduces yield in the "refuge" wheat variety in the mix within the Midge resistant majority blend: For instance in Utmost, that would be the Harvest genetic component of the blend.
There needs to be at least 7 percent Harvest refuge in Utmost to protect the Midge resistance feature.
In heavy infestation areas the Midge insects attack the wheat crop; (in this case the Harvest in Utmost) the Harvest refuge portion can easily result in reduced yield... (v the Midge resistant part) therefore decreasing the Harvest to below 7 percent... therefore the Utmost blend is below needed Harvest refuge to retain a safety margin to protect the gene.
This can be fixed by properly adding back Harvest into the blend... to get it above 10 percent of the blend refuge component. Testing is the key. After adding back Harvest... we resample and retest to make sure the seed is at the proper refuge blend.
That is why growers need to heed the contracts... they are NOT a conspiracy against growers... they are instead protecting us!
There is really practical issue here.
Simply put, as the Midge insects attack/reduces yield in the "refuge" wheat variety in the mix within the Midge resistant majority blend: For instance in Utmost, that would be the Harvest genetic component of the blend.
There needs to be at least 7 percent Harvest refuge in Utmost to protect the Midge resistance feature.
In heavy infestation areas the Midge insects attack the wheat crop; (in this case the Harvest in Utmost) the Harvest refuge portion can easily result in reduced yield... (v the Midge resistant part) therefore decreasing the Harvest to below 7 percent... therefore the Utmost blend is below needed Harvest refuge to retain a safety margin to protect the gene.
This can be fixed by properly adding back Harvest into the blend... to get it above 10 percent of the blend refuge component. Testing is the key. After adding back Harvest... we resample and retest to make sure the seed is at the proper refuge blend.
That is why growers need to heed the contracts... they are NOT a conspiracy against growers... they are instead protecting us!
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