New Zealand
December, 2005
New premium quality bread wheats
are the aim of a recent joint venture partnership between
Luisetti Seeds and Crop & Food Research.
This formalises a strong breeding partnership which has released
several wheat cultivars in recent years, most notably the
milling cultivar, Regency.
Vincent Luisetti of Luisetti Seeds says the joint venture will
strengthen the local wheat industry.
"Crop & Food Research, and before that the DSIR, has been
breeding wheats that are the backbone of the arable industry in
New Zealand - the big names like Otane, Hilgendorf, Rongotea,
Kotare and Regency.
"Farmers have relied on these wheats selected specifically for
New Zealand conditions.
"More European cultivars are available today but these come from
different climates with different races of disease," he says.
"It is now becoming more and more evident that locally bred
bread cultivars are considered more robust. Huge differences
exist in susceptibility to stripe rust, septoria and brown
rust."
Crop & Food Research's Cropseed manager, Sam White, says the
agreement - and the additional funding - allows the company to
continue to breed finished cultivars for the domestic milling
market.
"In recent times crown funding has been directed towards longer
term goals - developing new genetic traits for 'tomorrow' rather
than finished cultivars required by growers and millers 'today'.
"Luisetti's funding complements that from the New Zealand Flour
Millers' Association and Crop & Food Research's reinvestment of
cultivar royalties," he says.
Ashburton Grain Consolidators Ltd will be contributing
financially and sub-contracting to Luisetti Seeds in marketing
the new cultivars.
Chris Thomas, Ashburton Grain Consolidators' general manager and
director, says his firm has had a long association with both
Crop & Food Research and Luisettis.
Mr Thomas says the agreement should be good for the milling
industry as his firm had milling expertise and both it and
Luisettis had marketing expertise. Both firms are dedicated to
milling wheat in Canterbury.
Crop & Food Research cultivars - currently about 50% of those
grown in New Zealand - are performing well, he says.
Leading arable and sheep farmer, and Foundation for Arable
Research chairman, Stuart Wright, of Sheffield, says he
congratulates Luisettis for making this commitment to the
milling industry.
"There has been a question mark over the viability of New
Zealand-grown milling wheat - with the state of the NZ dollar
its very tempting just to import grain from overseas. It's a big
call by a company to get involved."
Mr Wright says some very good wheat varieties are imported but
the majority are feed wheats.
"If we're to have a vibrant milling industry whenever the dollar
does drop we need to have the high producing and performing
varieties the millers want."
This year Mr Wright is growing Vanquish milling wheat - which
performed well last year in both yield and quality - as well as
Tribute for Weetbix production. He has also been pleased with
Regency in recent years.
"Milling wheat is a Canterbury business and it's good to see a
Canterbury firm involved and investing in the arable industry,"
Mr Wright says.
The joint venture wheat breeding agreement between Crop & Food
Research and Luisetti Seeds will focus on breeding 'Premium 1'
quality specifications as indicated by the major flour mills.
Other objectives include improving yield, high adult plant
resistance to stripe rust and moderate sprout resistance.
The programme structure will include multi-site yield trials for
up to three years before selected lines enter the industry-wide
Cereal Performance Trial (CPT) evaluation system.
Crop & Food Research will continue to support cultivars in the
market through specific management advice.
Crop & Food Research's Cropseed manager, Sam White says there is
some exciting new material in the breeding pipeline. The first
release from the new partnership is anticipated in Autumn 2007.
Vincent Luisetti of Luisetti Seeds says cultivars from the
programme will be made available as widely as possible. Luisetti
Seeds also emphasised seed quality - producing to greater than
certified standard - and that seed was available on time. |
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