The early break in 2017 got crops across the Wimmera and Mallee off to a flying start. Seasonal conditions ultimately favoured early and early to mid-maturity types – a turnaround from 2016, where long season varieties were a better match for the rainfall pattern.
In terms of barley varieties, Compass was on the nose for many growers after disappointing results in 2016. The lessons learned from this experience led to later sowing times in 2017, which had a positive impact on lodging. Results were generally much improved – although a less exceptional season may have also helped in this case! Spartacus performed well and had good head retention, but RGT Planet was the name on many peoples’ lips and delivered strong results across BCG research sites. How well it can tackle drier seasonal conditions and its susceptibility to net form net blotch are questions yet to be answered. RGT Planet is currently a feed variety, with malting evaluation results due in 2019.
In wheat, Corack added another year to a consistent run and remains a good choice for an APW only variety. Scepter did well in the Mallee, but wheat variety results in general were quite variable – including for Longsword, a winter variety that generated a lot of interest in 2017. Longsword is only deliverable as feed, but is undergoing further classification testing by Wheat Quality Australia.
Canola results were also variable and didn’t deliver any clear standout performances. Hyola 350TT and Stingray continue to perform consistently. InVigor T 4510, a triazine tolerant hybrid variety introduced in 2016, also did well in BCG trials. Pacific Seeds announced a new triple herbicide tolerant variety Hyola XCT which could be an interesting addition to the toolbox when it becomes commercially available at some point in the future.
The widespread breakdown in ascochyta resistance in chickpeas didn’t end up having a big impact in 2017, but it’s still important to check for the changed variety ratings when planning for 2018. A decision on malt accreditation for Compass and Spartacus should come through early in the year, as will feedback on whether RGT Planet has passed the first stage.
