Key Points

• Summer and early season rainfall provide early sowing opportunities

• Long season wheat varieties allow for typical crop development and maturity even when sown early in the season

• A longer growing season and more efficient use of moisture may result in increase in yield potential

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Aim

To demonstrate what the yield potential is of 3 different long season wheat varieties new to the WA market, and the impact of nitrogen strategies of rates and timings on these varieties.

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Background

The opportunity to utilise stored summer moisture by sowing earlier in the season can reduce the reliance on a traditional May break to get crops established. Long season wheat variates allow for typical crop development and maturity even when sown early in the season. The longer growing season varieties sown early (March/April) have demonstrated higher yields compared with typical spring wheats sown in the traditional window (May/June).

 

These new varieties are largely untested in the northern wheatbelt and understanding both the crop phenology in the local environment and the impact of various nitrogen strategies are needed to fill a research gap. This trial will look to provide some local information that will allow growers to potentially adopt the early sowing opportunities if the situation arises in future seasons.

 

Varieties

• Illabo (AGT) winter wheat (APW/AH)

• Denison (AGT) very long season spring wheat (APW)

• Rockstar (Intergrain) medium-long season spring wheat (APW/AHN)