Western Australian graingrowers and advisors can access vital new independent crop information as more results from the 2005 National Variety Trial (NVT) harvest go online.

The NVT is a national approach to variety evaluation, generating consistent and unbiased information for growers about newly released varieties.

More than 500 trials were planted at 250 sites across Australia last year as part of the first NVT harvest, which included more than 70 sites across the Western Australian grainbelt from Northampton to Esperance.

The NVT system in Western Australia is a partnership arrangement between the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA).

GRDC has contracted a private operator to conduct the wheat and canola evaluations, while DAFWA fund and evaluate barley, triticale, lupins, field peas, chickpeas and faba beans.

NVT Manager, Alan Bedggood said increased commercial involvement in wheat variety breeding in the past three years had led to a demand for independent trials.

Potential new varieties were evaluated before commercialisation so that information was accessible as soon as they became commercially available to growers.

“Growers will be able to compare how the new varieties performed in their areas and make informed commercial decisions on what seed they then buy and plant,” Mr Bedggood said.

He said Western Australia trials last year included a range of new WA varieties and a number of eastern states varieties released for 2006.

New wheat varieties trialled in WA last year, as part of the NVTs, were Bullaring, Carinya, Sentinel and Young, while new barley varieties trialled were Buloke, Fitzroy, Flagship, Fleet, Grout, Vertess, Vlamingh and Yarra.

New canola varieties trialled were ATR Banjo, ATR Summitt, AV Jade, AV Opal, AV Ruby, Boomer, Bravo TT, Hyola45, Hyola75, Pioneer44Y06, Pioneer45Y77 and Warrior.

Mr Bedggood said these varieties would be compared with other commercial varieties in this year’s trials