Alan and Trent Lindbeck are trialling about 70 hectares of the new Coolah wheat variety at Junee Reefs and reckon it’s looking pretty good.
They put it down initially on a fairly hot, gently undulating paddock of red clay loam. Trent said his family had always tried to keep up with newer varieties “rather than mucking around with rust sprays”.
“Because it was a pretty wet winter there was a bit of rust around, particularly if you were growing varieties that weren’t that resistant,” said Trent.
“We didn’t have to spray this at all and it looks good,” he said. He said the trial was admittedly small, compared with the bulk of the acreage sown with SunTop and Spitfire. “It’s been the stand out crop all year compared with the other varieties nearby, we’re really impressed.” The new variety was developed by Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) Wagga breeding centre in south east NSW,
AGT is ramping up the new strain up as an alternative to EGA Gregory.
The company says it has increased yield potential, disease and lodging resistance along with a reduction in plant height, Coolah will have a fit for many growers.
Derived from EGA Gregory, Coolah also exhibits traits that have made EGA Gregory a popular choice in the past.
AGT senior wheat breeder Russell Eastwood said time of sowing trial data collected at the AGT Kabinga Research Centre across several years showed Coolah had paralleled EGA Gregory for maturity, and would slot into the same planting window from the end of April through to the middle of May.
Another trait Coolah has is solid grain quality package. Coolah demonstrates very similar grain quality to EGA Gregory with high test weights and low screening losses. Coolah has an APH quality classification in the Northern Zone, whilst being AH quality in the South Eastern Zone. In the Southern Zone it has an AH classification compared to EGA Gregory which is APW.
Coolah displays a slightly shorter plant height compared to EGA Gregory and improved straw strength over its parent. James Whiteley, AGT’s Marketing and Production Manager expects these traits to be very welcome in any new EGA Gregory replacement.
“The improved lodging resistance and shorter plant height means an increase in harvest speeds,” he said.
