Western Australia
October 16, 2008
Two new wheat varieties, Mace* and
Fang*, were launched last week at a
Council of Grain Grower
Organisations (COGGO) seed bulk-up site near Northam,
Western Australia.
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COGGO Chairman and Bindi Bindi grower, Bruce
Piper and AGT CEO, Dr Steve Jefferies at the launch of new wheat
varieties Mace and Fang.
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Chatting at the launch of new
wheat varieties Mace and Fang are Ray Fulwood at his
farm and COGGO seed bulk-up site near Northam, COGGO
Chairman and Bindi Bindi grower, Bruce Piper and COGGO
CEO, Geoff Smith. |
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COGGO CEO, Geoff Smith and AGT
CEO, Dr Steve Jefferies at the launch of new wheat
varieties Mace and Fang on Ray Fulwood’s farm near
Northam. |
COGGO CEO, Geoff Smith, said the new varieties were developed by
Australian Grain
Technologies (AGT) and bred for Western Australian
conditions.
“Commercial quantities of seed will be available from COGGO
Seeds for planting in the 2009 growing season.
“Mace* is a Wyalkatchem* type which in three years of yield
testing has, on average, outyielded Wyalkatchem* by six per cent
across all agzones in Western Australia,” he said.
“In addition, Mace* has improved stripe and stem rust
resistance, boron tolerance and similar resistance to yellow
spot as Wyalkatchem* and has a provisional quality grading of
APW/AH.
“Fang*, a medium-long season APW variety, has been developed for
growers looking to manage frost risk by growing different
varieties with a range of flowering times.
“It is an alternative to Yitpi*, which is often used for this
purpose. Fang has improved stem, stripe and leaf rust resistance
over Yitpi*, it is less susceptible to yellow leaf spot and has,
during three years of testing in WA, exceeded Yitpi* yield in
agzones 5 and 6,” Mr Smith said.
“Fang* is similar to Yitpi* in its flowering time across a wide
range of planting times.
“Parent material for Fang* was sourced from a close relative to
Spear*, but with improved yield and disease resistance.”
Mr Smith said that the new AGT varieties were bred at AGT’s
Roseworthy based breeding program in South Australia, but were
developed for WA growers and will be managed by COGGO Seeds in
WA.
An incorporated joint venture between Grains Research and
Development Corporation (GRDC), Vilmorin and Cie (Limagrain
Holdings), South Australian Research and Development Institute,
University of Adelaide, University of Sydney and Graincorp Pty
Ltd., AGT has breeding operations in all of Australia’s major
wheat production zones.
While AGT’s predecessors have had considerable success in
breeding wheat varieties for WA growers since the mid 1960s,
AGT’s ‘physical’ presence in WA began in 2002.
Addressing about 40 growers at the variety launch, AGT CEO, Dr
Steve Jefferies, said Wyalkatchem* was one of WA’s landmark
varieties, but Mace*, containing about three quarters of
Wyalkatchem* genetic make-up, represented a further frameshift
in yield productivity and disease resistance.
“With the yield advantage offered by Mace*, growers should be
ahead by $30-$40 per hectare, based on a two tonne per hectare
yield and $300 per tonne price,” he said.
“With these new varieties we’ve used a combination of new and
conventional breeding technologies to fast track their
development, so growers can enjoy early access.
“Breeding Fang*, for example, took seven years from first
crossing to commercial release, whereas the long term average in
Australia is about 13 years,” Dr Jefferies said.
“In a new initiative also designed for more rapid access to new
and superior varieties, WA growers can now sell seed retained
from these varieties to neighbours, provided they purchased the
original quality seed from COGGO Seeds.”
Dr Jefferies explained that the new varieties were named after
weapons, continuing the tradition of AGT’s Roseworthy-based
wheat breeding ‘arsenal’, which includes Halberd, Spear, Dagger,
Machete, Stiletto and the drought tolerant varieties, Gladius*,
Espada* and Axe* released in WA last year.
WA growers will soon benefit from new varieties developed from
the WA based breeding program, AGT-WA, that is part of the
AGT/COGGO partnership.
Advanced breeding lines from this program, led by WA based Kevin
Young, are currently in
National Variety Trials (NVTs), with the first commercial
release likely within two years, according to Dr Jefferies.
*
Variety protected under the Plant Breeders Rights Act 1994.
Other news
from AGT |
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