Oat and Triticale Trials. Trent Potter, SARDI, Sue Hoppo, Pamela Zwer, Kenton Porker and Rob Wheeler, SARDI

Transcription

1 TRITICALE AND OATS Oat and Triticale Trials Trent Potter, SARDI, Sue Hoppo, Pamela Zwer, Kenton Porker and Rob Wheeler, SARDI Key Outcomes: Bogong has been the highest yielding triticale variety over the past few years Mitika, Possum and Potoroo have been high yielding oat varieties, Wandering produced high yields in 2009 but has some disease issues that may affect yield in other years. Trial Objective: To assess triticale and oat varieties for grain yield and quality possible.. Trial Duration: Continuous Location: Various Soil Type: Various Paddock History: Canola Monthly Rainfall: Farmer Co-operators: John Cooper Kraig Johnson Rain Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Apr-Oct Total Bool Lagoon Wolseley (BoM) Kybybolite Yield Limiting Factors: Hot conditions in November Type of Trial: Replicated Plot Trial Trial Design: 8m Long Plots x 8 Rows at 15cm Spacings (1.2m); 3 Replicates Treatments A range of oat and triticale breeders lines and varieties were tested in the South East. Trial Results

2 Triticale Table 1: Triticale trials in 2010 and long term South East Results Conmurra Long term % mean %sites av. # trials Abacus Berkshire Bogong Canobolas Chopper Crackerjack Endeavour 90 Hawkeye Jaywick Rufus Tahara Tickit Tobruk Tuckerbox Yowie 105 Yukuri Site av Yield (t/ha) Date Sown 27-May Soil type C ph (water) 6.2 A-O rain mm 484 Stress factors yr Soil Type: S= Sand L = Loam C=Clay Site Stress Factors: yr = stripe rust Data source: SARDI/GRDC & NVT (long term data based on weighted analysis of sites) Data analysis by GRDC funded National Statistics Group For the third successive year Bogong has taken out overall honours for the highest average yield across all 8 Triticale National Variety Trial (NVT) sites in SA. The new variety Berkshire came in a distant second but jostled for top spot with Bogong across some sites. Mild and wet spring conditions throughout much of SA provided for environments that favoured the medium to later maturing varieties in reaching their yield potential. Yields across the triticale sites on a whole were above average. Across all sites in 2010, yields averaged 3.39t/ha, 14% lower than 2009; largely due to the lower than average yields achieved at the higher yielding sites. Yields ranged from 1.81 t/ha at Bute on the Yorke Peninsula to 4.37 t/ha at Turretfield in the Mid North. Conmurra in the South East suffered lower than average yields due to significant pressure from stripe rust

3 TRITICALE AND OATS and the Bute site endured weed pressure from Brome Grass. The lower rainfall sites such as Pinnaroo proved to benefit most from the favourable spring conditions. Amongst the triticale yields for 2010, the relatively new grain releases continued to outclass the older foundation varieties of Tahara and Tickit across all districts of SA. Bogong was the overall top yielding variety across the SA trials topping five of the eight trial sites with Berkshire 7% further back taking out top spot in the remaining three sites. A respective third place went to Hawkeye 10% behind Bogong, followed by Canobolas (12%). Tahara and Tickit yielded a further 22% below Bogong. Due to seasonal differences in performance of varieties, it is important to consider long term averages and whether the variety has been widely evaluated across seasons and sites when comparing yields of varieties. Rust classifications also change regularly due to new rust pathotypes arising. Please refer to the latest disease guides for updated information. Bogong released by the University of New England in 2008, has now been evaluated for four seasons across all sites in SA. Bogong has all but proven its broad adaptation through topping the NVT trials for the third year running. Long term yield results position Bogong around 20% above average across all environments in SA. Bogong was the highest yielding variety in 2008 when the season shut off with dry conditions experienced in spring; explained by its early to mid season maturing. Bogong was therefore tipped to come back to the pack in longer seasons and under more favourable spring conditions. However, against the odds, Bogong has continued to excel in both the more favourable seasons of 2009, and 2010; still yielding above all other varieties. Bogong offers good resistance to all common forms of rust, but is not resistant to CCN. Berkshire is a relatively new variety which performed particularly well in 2010 at the higher rainfall sites and heavier soil type sites, but fell well below average in the lower rainfall and more sandier sites. Longer term, Berkshire is behind Bogong and about on par with Canobolas at 10% above average. Berkshire was purpose bred for its feed quality traits for pigs by the University of Sydney and the Pork CRC. It is of mid season maturity, but is now moderately susceptible to stripe rust. Hawkeye was the respectably third ranked variety in SA for 2010 proving it also is well adapted after being a consistent high performer across seasons and sites in SA (6% above average) but down on Bogong and Berkshire. Hawkeye released by AGT in 2007, is broadly adapted, mid maturing, resistant to CCN and rust, and offers excellent grain quality. Compared to long term yields, Canobolas and Jaywick did not perform as well in 2010 as in previous seasons but still continued to outclass older varieties. Both varieties are slightly earlier maturing than their counterparts Bogong and Hawkeye; partly explaining the disparity in yield observed in 2010 between the varieties. Canobolas released by the UNE in 2008 has performed well over seasons; however, is now moderately susceptible susceptible to stripe rust as verified by its low yield at Conmurra in Jaywick was released in 2007 by AGT as a broadly adapted variety, offering CCN resistance and good to fair resistance to all rusts with excellent grain quality. Rufus yields remained inferior to the newer grain varieties in 2010 but its performance remained aligned with long term averages. Rufus is a reduced awn variety, resistant to rusts

4 and CCN, making it a very valuable dual purpose variety for hay, grazing and grain production saw the release of new grain variety Chopper from AGT. Chopper is a semi dwarf very early maturing variety with CCN and good rust resistance, offering an alternative for the CCN susceptible and now rust susceptible Speedee. Chopper is more likely to perform well in short seasons and in low yield potential environments. The long season of 2010 did not favour early maturing varieties such as Chopper; even so, it has performed as well as later varieties Tahara and Tickit. Chopper s performance is more likely to fluctuate with differences in seasonal conditions. For the second year running Tobruk topped the rust affected high rainfall site in the South East despite being susceptible to stripe rust. Being a winter type variety, Tobruk is suited to longer season wetter environments. Tobruk appears to have a fit in SA offering a genuine dual purpose and longer season fully awned grain only variety. Abacus, a very long season variety is now susceptible to stripe rust and consequently suffered the most in the South East trial. Yukuri is a later maturing, reduced awn, rust resistant, CCN susceptible, dual purpose variety, commonly valued for forage production, and also for producing milling quality grain of wheat-like appearance. Yukuri s performance in 2010 was below average; down on its performances in previous years, surprising given the season favoured such varieties. Yukuri s long term yield places it in on par with the grain variety Tickit. Other new releases in 2010 included Tuckerbox from Seed Distributors in its second year of NVT; and Yowie, bred by Kath Cooper, in NVT for the first time in Tuckerbox is a reduced awn, late medium season variety which may be grown for forage or grain with good resistance to rust and CCN. Yowie is a slightly later maturing, medium season, fullyawned variety with resistance to rusts and CCN. Crackerjack (fully awned) and Endeavour (reduced awned) are both winter type varieties used predominantly for forage production in long season high rainfall environments. All four varieties yielded well below average in 2010 but have not yet been widely evaluated across seasons within SA NVT and further evaluation is needed highlighted varietal differences in lodging. Lodging can be a significant problem for triticale in wetter areas or in higher yielding situations. Chopper being shorter than all other varieties (approximately 15% shorter than Tahara) did not lodge to the same degree, showing its superior standing ability and straw strength also showed Tobruk and Bogong to stand up much better than older varieties Tahara and Rufus and newer releases Berkshire, Hawkeye, Jaywick, and Yowie. Acknowledgments Dr Kath Cooper for expert advice on Triticale varieties.

5 TRITICALE AND OATS Oats Table 2: Oat Trials in 2010 and Long Term Results Variety Bordertown Frances Kybybolite Long term Variety %sites av. # trials Carrolup Echidna Euro Mitika Mortlock Numbat Possum Potoroo Wandering Yallara Site av. yield t/ha LSD (%) Date sown 21-May 12-May 31-May Soil type LC CL SL ph (water) A-O rain mm Stress factors r r,w Soil Type: S= Sand L = Loam C=Clay Site Stress Factors: r = rhizoctonia w = Data source: NVT, GRDC and SARDI Crop Evaluation and Oat Breeding Programs (long term data based on weighted analysis of sites) Data analysis by GRDC funded National Statistics Group Comments Unpredictable and unfavourable weather conditions, foliar diseases, mice and locust plagues which varied by location set the scene for a very different yield performance profile for all oat varieties in Not any one variety dominated. However, Potoroo was the highest yielding at four of the 10 locations in South Australia. Mitika and Possum were the second most stable yielding varieties across trial sites. Large yield differences occurred at all trial sites and the highest of these was at Riverton where Possum more than doubled the yield of Wandering. Grain quality in the milling varieties was excellent at all trial locations except Greenpatch and Kybybolite where test weights were relatively low. Mitika was the overall stand out for grain quality in Yallara, Mitika and Euro had the highest test weight with Carrolup performing well in the South East. Mitika also averaged the lowest screenings % across all sites followed closely by Possum and then Yallara. Grain size was largest for Euro and Mitika and protein highest for Mitika. Good rains in April had many hoping for a good start to the year but dry conditions in May combined with some warm weather caused a delay in seeding with many crops being sown dry. Problems with mice particularly through the mid North and Yorke Peninsula also

6 caused delays to seeding with some having to re-sow paddocks due to the damage sustained. The trial site at Pinery was not harvested due to extensive mouse damage. Locusts and lucerne flea also caused problems for some. Rain in late May was the opening break with greater than 75mm recorded widely across the mid North of the state. Growing season rainfall was close to average or even below average in some districts for the first half of the growing season but August was very wet with spraying days hard to find. By the end of August reports of stem rust and red leather leaf in oats started coming in. September was also wet and the hay cutting season was delayed and extended. In some cases crops were left for grain rather than cut for hay due to the wet conditions. Hay yields were good but rain damaged hay was widespread. The start of grain harvest was also delayed and a very wet December limited harvesting days and saw many still reaping into the New Year. Severe lodging and shattering occurred in crops not harvested before the storms hit in mid December. Stem rust, leaf rust, barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) and red leather leaf diseases all took their toll on both yield and quality in affected areas. Care should still be taken to monitor rust levels in paddocks of all oat varieties as rust races can change from year to year. With weather damaged grain also being prevalent, germination testing will be imperative for seed being used for sowing in Following is a summary of how each variety performed in the National Oat Breeding Program trials and the South Australian National Variety Trials (NVT) conducted by the SARDI New Variety Agronomy Group in Factors such as grain quality, disease resistance and maturity as well as grain yield should be considered before selecting the variety best suited to your district and end use. The sowing guide published each year in October/November or on the SARDI website ( provides comprehensive notes on each variety and is your best guide to choosing oat varieties for both grain and hay production. The new milling variety Yallara is a backcross line from a North Dakota breeder s line combining Euro s yield and premium milling grain quality with stem and leaf rust resistance. Changes in rust races occurred in 2010 and in some areas Yallara had susceptible reactions to stem rust. Yallara has bright grain and high grain digestibility making it suitable for the horse racing industry. It is slightly taller and earlier than Euro. Like Euro it is resistant to cereal eelworm but intolerant. It is also susceptible and intolerant of stem nematode. Yallara averaged 20% below its long term average across 10 locations in Tall varieties are more prone to lodging and shattering and this would have contributed to Yallara s poor performance. Despite its yield, Yallara maintained its premium grain quality across all locations. Seed of Yallara is available from Viterra. The dwarf milling quality variety Mitika is an early maturing variety suited to all rainfall districts due to its improved foliar disease resistance spectrum 1. However, it is intolerant and susceptible to cereal eelworm and is not suitable for areas where this is a problem. Mitika has low husk lignin and good grain protein and digestibility making it also an excellent option for feed. Mitika yielded 6% below its long term average in 2010 across all locations but was the equal second highest yielding variety. It yielded above the site average at Riverton, Turretfield and Frances. Mitika also averaged the second highest test weight, the lowest screenings, highest grain weight and highest protein of all the varieties tested. Stem rust infection varied for Mitika depending on location. Mitika was rated as anything from moderately resistant to susceptible. Care is required to monitor rust levels especially in

7 TRITICALE AND OATS years with favourable conditions for the multiplication of rust. Seed of Mitika is available from Seedmark. Like Mitika, Possum is a milling quality dwarf oat susceptible and intolerant to cereal eelworm. In 2010, Possum yielded slightly below its long term average across all locations and was equal second highest yielding with Mitika. It yielded above the site average at Paskeville, Riverton, Turretfield and Frances. In 2010 Possum had a lower test and grain weight than other milling varieties but the second lowest screenings percent. This is probably due to Possum s inferior stem and leaf rust resistance compared to Mitika. However, Possum s early-mid season maturity makes it more suitable than Mitika to medium to high rainfall areas where cereal eelworm is not a constraint. Seed of Possum is available from AWB Seeds. Euro, is a short tall milling quality variety with resistance but intolerance to cereal eelworm. It is also very susceptible to stem rust and requires monitoring and applications of fungicides in years when stem rust is likely to be a problem. Like most varieties, Euro did not perform as well as its long term average in Across all locations it was 9% lower yielding that would be expected. Grain quality was excellent. Potoroo is an early maturing dwarf feed variety with resistance and tolerance to cereal eelworm. It is the only variety tested in these trials suited to areas where cereal eelworm is a problem. Potoroo was the only variety to perform similar to its long term yield average in Indicative of its feed status, Potoroo had the second lowest average test weight of all varieties in 2010 but grain weight and screenings were better than expected. Numbat is a naked oat suitable for feeding monogastric animals. Advice should be sought before growing this variety. Wandering, Carrolup and Mortlock are varieties bred in Western Australia and included in NVT and breeding trials. They are not recommended in South Australia due to their susceptibility to nematodes and foliar diseases in this state. Advice should be sought before growing these varieties in South Australia. Watch out for new dwarf varieties soon to be released by the SARDI Oat Breeding Program which combine eelworm resistance and tolerance with improved grain quality. 1 Refer to the Oat Sowing Guide published in October/November each year, SARDI website or variety brochures for a more comprehensive listing of the foliar disease resistances for each variety. Conclusion and into the paddock A range of new oat and triticale varieties are becoming available in the South East but make sure you get information about yield and disease resistance or susceptibility before choosing a new variety. Acknowledgements Trials were sown and managed by the SARDI New Variety Agronomy group at Struan. Trials were funded by GRDC.

8