Recent rain across the Wimmera and Mallee has prompted growers to consider the viability of the grain they plan to retain for next season.
Grain subjected to wetting at harvest is more susceptible to poor germination, low vigour and degradation during storage and handling.
Pre-harvest sprouting can also result from late season rain, particularly if more than 50mm falls over consecutive days and coincides with warm, humid weather.
To avoid sowing rain damaged seed and hindering the emergence and growth of next year’s crop, growers should carry out germination tests on their seed before storing it, but also again during storage and before seeding.
Wheat and barley varieties vary in susceptibility to the detrimental effects of late season rain so prioritising those varieties at harvest is important.
To understand more fully how different varieties respond to late season rain, including head loss and lodging as well as sprouting, BCG has conducted a number of field trials over the past three years.
This research has confirmed that barley is more susceptible to sprouting that wheat, and while some varieties retain their quality for longer than others, with excessive rain and conducive conditions, all ripe crops are at risk.
When planning harvest however, growers should also consider how susceptible their barley is to head loss.
BCG research in 2014 found that while there was no yield penalty when harvest was delayed by four weeks in very hot and dry conditions, varieties such as Skipper, La Trobe and Compass were more susceptible and should be prioritiesed to reduce losses if inclement weather and subsequent humid conditions do eventuate.
The impact of harvesting crops later than ideal has been examined further by BCG this year with field trials established under irrigation in at Wemen in the northern Mallee.
The aim of this research was to determine the impact of delaying harvest in terms of yield (through head loss and lodging) and grain quality in the event of late season rain; and to reveal any varietal differences.
The results from this research will be released at the BCG Trials Review Day at Birchip in February next year. For details go to: www.bcg.org.au
