Several new winter wheat crop varieties give growers more choice in 2023

The following details of these and of some other winter crops have been taken from the NSW DPI's 'Crop variety update - newer varieties and potential releases for 2023', written by Peter Matthews.

It is important to check details such as the latest resistance ratings to important diseases like stripe rust when choosing varieties.

No variety has adequate resistance to all diseases.

It is important to match a variety's resistance levels with possible disease threats and to combine it with other management strategies, such as foliar fungicides, should high-risk conditions develop.

Read more: Tips to grow winter legumes longer into spring and early summer

RGT Waugh is a high-yielding slow maturing white-grained winter wheat suited to medium to high rainfall areas.

It is suitable for sowing late February to early April for dual-purpose grazing and grain, and has excellent standability.

RGT Waugh was bred by RAGT and is available via Seed Force.

LongReach Scotch is a mid to slow spring maturing soft wheat (ASFT) suited for high-yielding soft wheat production.

Outyielding QAL2000 in southern NSW trials, LongReach Scotch has a medium to short plant height, with good straw strength and a well-rounded disease package.

It is suited to irrigation.

Brumby is a potential APW wheat (pending classification in southern NSW) released by InterGrain.

It is mid-maturing and suited to early May sowing.

Brumby has shown low powdery mildew infection levels in disease screening environments (provisionally rated R).

Jillaroo is a high-yielding, quick to mid-maturing spring wheat with AH classification suited to northern NSW and southern Queensland.

It has moderate plant height with semi-erect growth habit.

Jillaroo was bred and is marketed by InterGrain.

Kingston has short plant height, good straw strength with a compact head, and has excellent lodging resistance and lower stubble residues.

It has similar maturity as Scepter (early to mid-May onwards sowing), with a slower finish.

Kingston is a potential AH variety for southern NSW, and was bred by BASF and will be marketed by Seednet.

LongReach Anvil CL Plus is a quick maturing, two-gene IMI tolerant wheat that can be sprayed at label rates of registered IMI herbicides.

It has good early vigour, which adds to good weed competition.

Anvil CL Plus has good grain size and is suited to low to medium rainfall areas providing a fast-maturing IMI tolerant variety.

It has AH classification in South Australia and Victoria with southern NSW classification expected autumn 2023.

Anvil CL Plus was released by Pacific Seeds.

Reilly is bred from new genetics to Australia with a synthetic parent.

It's classification for southern NSW is potentially AH.

Reilly is medium height and suited to low-medium rainfall areas.

It has similar maturity to Scepter followed by a faster finish, which has shown yield stability in tough conditions.

It was bred by BASF and will be marketed by Seednet.

New barley varieties include the AGT release Titan AX.

It is tolerant to herbicide Spicam Aggressor (Group 1, quizalofop-P-ethyl), offering an alternative to Clearfield technology.

Mid-season maturing Titan AX reaches awn peep similar to RGT Planet.

It has high yield potential suited to medium to low rainfall areas.

Titan AX is agronomically similar to Compass with similar height and lodging tolerance.

It has low screenings and good retention.

It is set to be evaluated for malt in 2023.

Fandaga is a new slower maturing barley and a longer season than RGT Planet, marketed by AGF Seeds.

Zena CL is an IMI-tolerant barley, closely related to RGT Planet, hence similar agronomically, but with added herbicide tolerance.

Suited to medium to high rainfall areas, RGT Planet has good levels of resistance to powdery mildew and leaf rust.

Net form and spot form of net blotch will need to be monitored.

Zena CL is under evaluation for malt accreditation.

It was bred and is marketed by InterGrain.

Koala is a new high-yielding mid-season oat variety.

Fourteen new canola varieties will be marketed in 2023.

Lawler is a new narrow-leaf lupin release for NSW.

Next week: Aim to sow winter crops in the "earliest part of the sowing window".