Wheat Variety fact sheet Northern Zone Sunmax
Variety snapshot Long season maturity, best suited to mid April plantings APH quality classification in the Northern Zone Good stem and stripe rust resistance Acid soils tolerance Tolerance to RLN (P. thornei) High test weights
Breeders comments With an APH classification and slow maturity, Sunmax is one of the best planting options when there is an early break in the season. Choosing to grow Sunmax will help utilise early soil moisture, avoid frost damage later in the season, and lift overall farm yields and profit in northern NSW and southern Queensland. Sunmax is a long season spring wheat, slower in maturity than Sunbri and Sunzell but slightly quicker than Sunbrook. When planted in mid to late April it has yielded significantly higher than similar maturing varieties in northern NSW NVT and AGT trials. It has an excellent level of stripe rust resistance based on major genes and multiple minor APR genes. It also has useful levels of tolerance and resistance to other major diseases including crown rot and root lesion nematodes (P. thornei). Being a long season variety, it is critical that Sunmax is sown in the mid to late April planting window to minimise screening risk associated with terminal drought stress. Seed Availability Commercial quantities of Sunmax may be available through AGT Affiliates, or your local retailer. Please consult the AGT website for AGT Affiliate contact details. Sunmax is able to be traded between growers upon the completion of a License Agreement as part of AGTs Seed Sharing Initiative. PBR and EPR Sunmax is protected by Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) and all production (except seed saved for planting) is liable to an End Point Royalty (EPR), which funds future plant breeding. Sunmax growers will be subject to a Growers License Agreement that acknowledges that an EPR of $3.50/tonne + GST has to be paid on all production other than seed saved for planting.
Predicted yield of Sunmax versus control varieties: Early sown AGT series, northern NSW Grain yield as % of trial series average (AGT MET analysis 2014-2016) 110 105 100 95 90 85 Sunmax EGA Wedgetail Sunbri Sunbrook Sunzell * The majority of these trials were planted in mid to late April. Predicted yield of Sunmax versus control varieties: Early sown NVT series Grain yield as % of region average (NVT long term MET analysis 2012-2016) Central Queensland South East Queensland South West Queensland North East New South Wales North West New South Wales Sunmax 103 101 100 97 99 EGA Wedgetail 95 96 90 89 90 Sunbri 92 92 90 90 91 Sunzell 95 96 94 94 94 Trial mean (t/ha) 3.58 4.24 2.94 3.94 3.57 * The majority of these trials were planted between in late April to mid-may.
Maturity (heading date) of Sunmax versus control varieties at a range of planting dates at Narrabri in 2016 Heading Date 12 Oct 2 Oct 22 Sep Increased Heat Risk 12 Sep 2 Sep 23 Aug Increased Frost Risk 5 Apr 15 Apr 25 Apr 5 May 15 May 25 Jun 4 Jun 14 Jun Sowing Date Sunmax EGA Wedgetail Sunbri Sunbook Sunzell Disease, agronomic and grain quality ratings for Sunmax and control varieties Sunmax EGA Wedgetail Sunbrook Sunzell Stem Rust RMR MRMS MRMS MR Stripe Rust RMR MS MRMS MS Leaf Rust MS MS MS MS Yellow Leaf Spot MS MSS S MSS RLN (P. thornei) Resistance MRMS S MS MS RLN (P. thornei) Tolerance MTMI MII MTMI MT Crown Rot MSS MSS MS MSS Acid Soil Tolerance TMT TMT TMT TMT Maturity Late Very Late Late Mid-late Plant Height Medium Short Tall Tall Lodging Resistance MRMS MR MSS MRMS Northern Quality Classification APH AH APH AH Sprouting Tolerance MII I I I Black Point Resistance MR MS MS S Screening Risk Moderate Low-Moderate Moderate Moderate Test Weight High Moderate High High R MR MS S VS Resistant Moderately Resistant Moderately Susceptible Susceptible Very Susceptible T MT MI I VI Tolerant Moderately Tolerant Moderately Intolerant Intolerant Very Intolerant Source / NSW DPI Winter Crop Variety Sowing Guide 2017, NVT and AGT data.
Published July 2017 Kerrie Gleeson, Marketing Manager, Northern NSW/QLD 0427 958 259 Meiqin Lu, Wheat Breeder 0428 856 612 End Point Royalty Office (08) 8313 6810 agtbreeding.com.au Disclaimer / The information contained in this brochure is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing. Growers should be aware of the need to regularly consult with their advisors on local conditions and currency of information.