The Western Australia Department of Agriculture’s high yielding wheat variety Wyalkatchem has continued to perform well across the State in 2003, but could soon be joined by a number of potential new varieties.

The Department put a range of current and potential wheat varieties to the test in field-based agronomy trials at eight locations throughout WA, from Mullewa and Mingenew in the north to Salmon Gums and Gibson on the south-coast. 

Researcher Christine Zaicou-Kunesch presented the results at this week’s Crop Updates conference, supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

The information will be provided to growers at regional Crop Updates at Northam on 23 February, Koorda and Merredin on 24 February and Esperance on 9 March.

Ms Zaicou-Kunesch said the varieties and lines tested included GBA Shenton, GBA Ruby, GBA Sapphire, EGA Castle Rock, EGA Jitarning, EGA 2248, WAWHT 2525A and WAWHT 2499.

“Growers recognise there are appropriate management conditions required for any wheat variety to obtain optimal performance.  The impact of sowing time, optimum nitrogen and seed rates have a big impact on the yield and quality of a variety,” she said. 

Ms Zaicou-Kunesch said the new soft wheat EGA 2248 performed exceptionally well in the Great Southern at Katanning and Nyabing.  It outyielded Datatine and EGA Jitarning at each time of sowing in 2003.

“EGA 2248 is the earliest maturing soft wheat variety, slightly later than Westonia. It yielded exceptionally well being suited to the major sowing opportunities,” she said. 

“It does not replace but is complimentary to EGA Jitarning, which is suited to early sowing opportunities and longer season environments. 

“Both EGA 2248 and EGA Jitarning have less small grain screenings than Datatine, but EGA 2248 may have a problem with high protein levels.”

Ms Zaicou-Kunesch said two potential Australian Hard wheats WAWHT 2525A and WAWHT 2499 both performed reasonably well in the north, but had limitations in other regions in 2003.

WAWAHT 2525A is an awnless variety with metribuzin tolerance that is useful for controlling weeds such as Brome grass.  It performed reasonably well in the north with mid-May sowings. 

Protein levels for WAWHT 2525A were 1.5 to 2 per cent better than the majority of other varieties with similar yields. 

Ms Zaicou-Kunesch said WAWHT 2499 was a shorter season variety and with an early June sowing was the second ranked Australian Hard variety at Mullewa. 

Across the state, WAWHT 2499 preformed reasonably well with a June sowing but its Black Point levels would not make it a choice for growers in the high rainfall areas.

It is expected to have slightly better stripe rust resistance than EGA Bonnie Rock.

In the Australian Premium White grade, Ms Zaicou-Kunesch said Wyalkatchem was the highest yielding variety with May and early June sowings across most agronomy trials. 

She said Westonia also performed very well with June sowings.  However there were a number of other varieties that also had potential in WA.

“GBA Shenton with triple rust resistance is provisionally an APW. It yielded reasonably well with late May sowings in the north and mid June plantings on the south coast,” Ms Zaicou-Kunesch said.

“GBA Ruby is also provisionally an APW and was quite a tall variety in some trials, but has good straw strength.  It did not perform as well as Wyalkatchem, however, it has triple rust resistance which might be useful.”

GBA Sapphire is a longer season variety that struggled in the central region to be among the top varieties.  In contrast, on the South Coast and Great Southern this variety performed exceptionally well with a late May and early June sowing. 

Similar to GBA Shenton, GBA Sapphire has triple rust resistance that would be useful in the southern districts. 

Ms Zaicou-Kunesch said the noodle wheat Calingiri was sown across all sites, and similar to previous seasons, its optimum sowing time was restricted to May. 

In the north, she said Calingiri out-yielded Arrino across all times of sowing at Mingenew, and met protein standards for noodles. 

In the low rainfall of Mullewa, Arrino outperformed Calingiri by over 300 kg/ha with an early June sowing, however protein levels exceeded 17 per cent.  A similar result occurred at Nungarin in the central region.