With harvest now underway, it is important to look at what varieties may be best suited to your area to achieve the best possible yields.  A good resource to look at is the National Variety Trials (NVT) website to determine the best current and new performing varieties for your area.

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CANOLA

Triazine Tolerant Hybrid (TT)

Trident (Nuseed):  An early maturing hybrid with medium to tall plant height. It is rated R for blackleg with a ABDF resistance group. Good alternative to Stingray, with better blackleg resistance and vigour. In NVT trials it is has had the best gross income in TT varieties up to 2T/ha, but there is only 1 year of data. It is also suited to later sowing if needed.

HyTTec Trophy (Nuseed): This variety has been the highest yielding TT hybrid in the Wimmera with a R-MR bare seed blackleg rating, followed closely by Invigor T 4510 with a MR-MS bare seed blackleg rating. Ignite TT has been going well further south.

Triazine Tolerant Open Pollinated (TT)

Flathead (Nuseed): Early maturing replacement for Stingray. It has a short to medium height and is suited to low to medium rainfall areas. It has an estimated blackleg rating of MR (company rating) and no resistance group yet.

Hybrid Clearfield/Triazine Tolerant (CL/TT)

Hyola 580CT (Pacific Seeds): Early-mid hybrid variety suited to medium to high rainfall zones. It has a R Blackleg rating with a BC rating.  It is an alternative to other early-mid varieties such as Bonito, Hyola 559, Invigor T 4510 and Trophy. Generally yielding above Bonito, and 5.5% less than 559, 7% less than 44T02 and around 12% less than Trophy and 11% less yield than 4510 in Wimmera NVT’s. 

Truflex Canola Varieties

Hyola 410XX (Pacific Seeds): Early to mid Truflex hybrid variety suited to low to High rainfall zones. It has an estimated (Company) blackleg rating of R.

Invigor R4022P (BASF): Early-mid maturing Truflex hybrid with podguard technology, suited to low to medium rainfall zones. Estimated (Company) blackleg rating of R with Jockey. 

Xseed Raptor (Nuseed): Early-mid maturing Truflex hybrid with a short to medium height. It has an estimated (Company) blackleg rating of MR and hasn’t got a resistant group yet.  It is an alternative to GT53 and other roundup ready varieties, with a slight yield advantage over GT53, but all these Truflex varieties have limited NVT yield data.

Truflex Dual Herbicide Varieties

Hybrid Hyola 530XT (Pacific Seeds): Mid maturity Truflex and triazine tolerant hybrid variety. It has a medium plant height, and has an estimated (company) blackleg rating of RMR

Hybrid Hyola 540XC (Pacific Seeds): Early-mid maturity Truflex and clearfield hybrid with medium-high plant height. It has an estimated (company) rating of R.

FABA BEANS

Amberley (PBA):  A new faba bean variety being released for sowing in 2020. It is the first variety with moderate resistance to chocolate spot and is a mid-season with good resistance (MR/R) to both pathotypes 1 and 2 of ascochyta blight. It is also resistant to necking and is suited to higher rainfall areas. It has a medium grain size, and yield potential slightly higher than Bendoc, Samira and Zahra in the Wimmera but its yield potential over other varieties increases further as you go South of Horsham and Higher rainfall areas. 

Bendoc (PBA):  Released 2018 and is the first faba bean line with improved tolerance to some Group B herbicides. They are resistant to moderately resistant to both ascochyta blight pathotypes, and susceptible to chocolate spot, cercospora leaf spot and rust with a medium grain size.

Marne (PBA): Released in 2018. It has yielded 2% above PBA Amberley in NVT data and is currently the highest yielding variety in the Wimmera according to the 2020 Vic crop sowing guide. It is an early-mid flowering, high yielding faba bean that has shown adaption to the low rainfall and short season areas throughout southern Australia. The seed is light brown and medium in size, and suitable to co-mingling with current faba bean varieties for export into the major food markets of the Middle East. Ascochyta blight pathotype 1 RMR. Pathotype 2 MRMS, chocolate spot and cercospora S, rust MR, and PSbMV seed stain MR.

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CHICKPEAS

Royal (PBA): High yielding medium sized kabuli chickpea. It is well adapted to the medium rainfall areas of south eastern Australia. In these regions it has improved grain yields over mid – high yielding varieties (over 1.5T/ha) compared to Genesis 90, Monarch and Kalkee. It has a greater seed size than Genesis 90, but smaller than Monarch. It is an early-mid flowering and maturity, moderately susceptible to ascochyta blight in the southern region (similar to 090), and moderately resistant to ascochyta blight in the north. It is a semi spreading type plant similar to Genesis 090.

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LENTILS

Highland XT (PBA): A new Lentil variety being released for 2020. It is a herbicide tolerant medium red lentil variety which will compliment other varieties such as PBA Hallmark and PBA Hurricane.  It is an early-mid maturing variety that has performed well in the drier areas such as the Mallee. It has good early vigour and early flowering, improved resistance to ascochyta blight, and MRMS to Botrytis Grey Mould. It is the best yielding variety in the Mallee on average in NVT’s. PBA Bolt and PBA Jumbo 2 are both going well in the Mallee but around 5% less yield on average to Highland.

PBA Jumbo 2, and Hallmark are the best 2 yielding Lentils in the Wimmera. Hallmark lentils would be the variety of choice if a Clearfield is required.

VETCH

There are no new vetch varieties for the 2020 planting season. The following Vetch varieties are still commonly grown in the Wimmera and Mallee, starting with the earliest flowering variety which is generally grown north and the latest maturing Variety grown south.

Volga (early), Rasina, Blanchefleur and Timok (good mid variety), Morava, Popany, Benatas (late)

FIELD PEAS

There are no new field pea varieties for 2020. 

Percy (PBA): The 2nd best variety according to NVT yields in the Mallee. It’s a very early flowering and maturing conventional pea, similar to Parafield producing a dun type grain. Percy needs to be managed for most diseases but is moderately resistant to bacterial blight which is a big concern to field pea growers. The variety has a poor lodging resistance so requires a specialised pea pick up front.

Pearl (PBA): The best yielding variety in the Mallee (5% more than Percy) with good agronomics but is moderately susceptible to bacterial blight. It is also the highest yielding pea in the Wimmera. Pearl is an early to mid-flowering, semi dwarf, medium white grain field pea suitable for human consumption and stockfeed.

Wharton (PBA): This variety is 0.8% less yielding than Pearl in the Wimmera according to NVT’s. It’s an early-mid flowering and early maturity semi dwarf field pea which produces Kaspa type grain. Wharton is adapted to short-medium growing season environments and needs to be managed for blackspot, bacterial blight (susceptible) and downey mildew. It has good resistance to pod shattering.

LUPINS

There are no new lupin varieties available for 2020.

Bateman (PBA): Tall early flowering lupin with improved virus resistance. It offers significant yield improvements over current varieties in areas where virus infection from cucumber mosaic virus and barley yellow mosaic virus can cause significant yield losses when aphid numbers are high. 

Mandelup and Jenabillup are yielding 2-3% under Bateman in Mallee NVT’s, but Mandelup is generally better in lower to medium rainfall zones. Jenabillup and Bateman are more suitable to higher rainfall zones.

This information has been compiled using a combination of NVT and local data. It is always good to try the highest yielding new varieties in your paddock and put them up against existing varieties on your farm. Consult with your local Western AG agronomist today to discuss possible options for your 2020 sowing program.

Article produced by - Matt Witney, Western AG Horsham