The popularity of oats as a valued winter and spring grazing crop will be enhanced with the release of two new varieties from next year.

Queensland's Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries oat breeder Bruce Winter said that in Queensland trials a new variety to be called Genie had consistently yielded 10-15 per cent more than current commercial varieties, and would be launched next year.

Mr Winter said a variety now known as QA3 would be available commercially from 2008, and promised 10 per cent more yield than QA2 and total rust resistance.

Speaking at a field day at the DPI&F Hermitage Research Station, near Warwick, Mr Winter said Genie’s partial rust resistance and late season production made it an ideal forage crop for winter to early summer grazing in Queensland and NSW.

In southern Queensland, Genie could be planted from mid March to mid June, with grazing continuing until October.

“This late season characteristic provides an opportunity to take advantage of usually reliable spring rain to lift production,” Mr Winter said.

“Grazing acceptance and improved protein and sugar content for weight gains and milk production are also selection criteria in our oat breeding program.”

Mr Winter said Heritage Seeds and Meat and Livestock Australia supported the oat-breeding program.

He said the use of two or three rust resistant genes ensured the productive longevity of the completely resistant varieties emerging from the breeding program.

“Another new approach is to incorporate genes for partial leaf rust resistance.  This form of resistance is more durable and restricts the spread of the disease within the crop, a technique used for the first time in the development of Genie.”

“QA3 for release in 2008 should be completely rust resistant,” Mr Winter said.

He said the Hermitage trial was part of a regional assessment program where four trials of this type were grown in the oat areas of Central and southern Queensland.

As well as Genie and QA3, the trials included nine oat varieties, and Dictator forage barley and Petrel awnless hay wheat.

The oat varieties were Volta, Nugene, Taipan, Warrego, Graza 68, Coolabah, Algerian, Mortlock, and Drover.

He said the Hermitage trial was planted on April 18, with the first cut 104 days later in July and the second cut on September 12.

The planting rate was 40kg per hectare, with a 120kg/ha fertiliser blend.

“There was a dry start to the trial, but rain from late July improved production prospects,” he said.

Mr Winter said dairy and beef producers visiting the trial site were interested in the performance of Dictator, the awnless forage barley.

He said Dictator was fast to establish and a vigorous winter growing variety that was productive early in the season, but lost its vigour as the season progressed.

Mr Winter said he planned to introduce rust-resistant lines from North America during the next few years to strengthen the Queensland forage oats breeding program.