Cereal variety trials across the Wimmera and Mallee will be discussed at the BCG Trials Review Day on Friday 16 February at the Birchip Leisure Centre.
BCG research manager Claire Browne will discuss the performance of wheat varieties during 2017 including the highest yielding and their agronomic package.
“Scepter, LRPB Trojan, Corack and Beckom were the highest yielding varieties in the Mallee, while in the Wimmera, Scepter, LRPB Trojan, Kord CL Plus, Corack and Mace all perform well,” Ms Browne explained.
Scepter has been in the NVT program for three years and has shown that it is more than capable to adjust to both Wimmera and Mallee environments.
“Scepter can now rightfully be considered a very suitable and favoured variety for the Mallee.”
BCG senior researcher Kelly Angel and La Trobe University’s Dr. James Hunt will be discussing results from the first year of the GRDC-funded ‘Managing early sown wheat’ project which aims to determine the suitability of long season wheats for the Wimmera and Mallee environment.
Ms Browne explained that winter wheat Longsword (RAC2341) was in the GRDC NVT early break trial at Hopetoun and the Managing Early Sown Wheat trials at Longerenong and Curyo.
“The results from the Longerenong and Curyo sites for Longsword have resulted in some head scratching, with it failing to perform due to unexplained sterility in these instances,” Ms Browne described.
Ms Angel and Mr Hunt will provide growers attending the event with an understanding around the opportunities to cash in on an early break.
Barley varieties and their agronomic management package will also feature on the program with BCG research officer Linda Walters presenting current results and summarising the GRDC-funded ‘Barley agronomy for the southern region’ project as it concludes in June after 10 years.
“Fathom, La Trobe, Spartacus CL, Rosalind, Hindmarsh and Compass are consistently yielding the highest in the Mallee and Wimmera NVT trials,” Ms Walters explained.
“Barley time of sowing trials at Corack this year also provided some interesting results considering the frost events, and these results have been analysed and written up for the members only BCG Season Research Results”
Cereal and pulse disease pressure on varieties is a key consideration when contemplating changing varieties.
Agriculture Victoria’s plant pathologist Dr. Grant Hollaway and senior research agronomists in pulses Dr. Jason Brand will provide attendees with an understanding of what happened in 2017, and what they might expect to see in 2018 and appropriate disease management strategies moving forward.
The BCG Trials Review Day is a members only event. Lunch, refreshments and a copy of the 2017 BCG Season Research Results compendium are provided. Non-BCG members can purchase memberships prior to, or on the day.
For more information about the BCG Trials Review Day visit the website at www.bcg.org.au or phone the office on (03) 5492 2787.
