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Australian Grain Technologies releases two new feed grade wheat varieties with top rust resistance

Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) new Feed Grade durum wheat Zulu, and Feed Grade bread wheat Zebu, combine very high grain yield, early to mid maturity, good straw strength, excellent resistance to the three rusts (stem leaf and stripe) and adequate yellow leaf spot resistance. Agronomic type of both varieties is excellent and maturity suits main season sowing.
A large portion of the Queensland and northern New South Wales wheat crop (3.0 million tonnes average annual eastern states use of feed wheat) traditionally supplies the various livestock industries such as beef and lamb feed lotting, dairying, poultry and pig meat. Zulu and Zebu represent a deliberate effort by AGT to develop wheat varieties that focus on high yield and disease resistance for this important and rapidly growing industry.

Pig and poultry industries tend to prefer bread wheat (Zebu) while many of the ruminant (cattle and sheep) feeding industries prefer durum wheat (Zulu).
AGT former wheat breeder Peter Wilson (photo, right), one of Australia’s most respected plant breeders, identified the breeding lines that resulted in Zulu and Zebu, from genetic material provided by the International Centre for Wheat and Maize Improvement (CIMMYT), based in Mexico. Peter Wilson, based in Tamworth, selected these lines to be especially well suited to the high rainfall areas of northern NSW, including the Liverpool Plains, where they have regularly performed exceedingly well. They should also suit irrigation areas and in preliminary trials have yielded high in the southern NSW irrigation areas including the MIA.

For some years growers have been seeking varieties such as Zulu and Zebu that can regularly produce high yields in areas where intensive livestock feeding businesses are close by, and also where seasonal conditions such as wet harvests commonly lead to traditional bread and durum wheats being downgraded to feed quality.

Extensive trialling in northern NSW by AGT, Agvance, and the University of New England, between 2003 and 2007, and by the national GRDC NVT evaluation program in 2007, indicate that Zulu and Zebu yield very high in potential high yielding situations, commonly in the range of 10 to up to 30 percent above current important high yielding bread wheat varieties such as Ventura.

Zulu has a tendency to yield a few percentage points above Zebu in high yielding situations. In lower yielding conditions both generally yield similar to popular bread wheats.

Zulu and Zebu are two of only a few current varieties rated Resistant (R or 9) against all three rusts; stem, leaf and stripe rust, including the new WA+Yr17 stripe rust strain.

Zulu and Zebu also have useful levels of resistance (5 or MS rating) to yellow leaf spot, a disease that can devastate high yield potential crops in wetter years. In 1998 for example, yellow leaf spot was responsible for more than 50 percent yield loss in many susceptible (S or VS) varieties in northern Australia. Varieties with a 5 or MS rating, similar to that of Zulu and Zebu, generally suffered minor to significantly less damage.

Agronomic attributes such as straw strength (medium height), standability and tolerance to shattering, rate well with Zulu and Zebu. Both are mid season varieties with Zulu 1 to 2 days later maturing than Janz and Zebu 1 to 2 days earlier than Janz. For most areas they suit the main season sowing window.

Zulu and Zebu seed is available through AGT Seeds, 026881 6210 . More details on variety information are available from 08 8308 7708.

Like most new variety releases Zulu and Zebu are subject to End Point Royalty (EPR) which funds future wheat breeding research and evaluation. Growers will be subject to a Growers Agreement that acknowledges an EPR has to be paid on all production other than seed retained for their own planting.

Zulu and Zebu were selected and evaluated under the experimental designation TAMSR and TAMDK. Zebu and Zulu names were chosen in reference to cattle, Zebu a popular breed, and Zulu a race of people who’s livelihoods over many generations has relied on cattle.

Tags · Grain · Wheat · Australia · Resistance

24.04.2008. 04:49