THIS season is shaping up for early sowing, after widespread recent rain and predictions of more falls on the horizon.
The conditions also present an ideal opportunity to grow Magenta wheat.
Tenindawa grain grower Daniel Critch said he was impressed with Magenta and the variety's fit within his 12,000-15,000 hectare cropping program.
Last year it performed very well for Mr Critch, allowing him to take advantage of the longer growing season that the northern Wheatbelt experienced.
Mr Critch said growing wheat is about managing risk, maximising early sowing opportunities and planting the right variety at the right time.
In years with good subsoil moisture he and his brother Tim sow Magenta between April 25 and May 10 and with the variety's vernalisation requirement they know that it will resist running into head if a dry period is experienced.
"Magenta has really good vigour and provides excellent weed competition which is a big plus in our system," he said.
"We generally sow Magenta anywhere from 30-60 kilograms/ha depending on the paddock, to achieve the same canopy cover as we would with other varieties.
"We like Magenta's long coleoptile as it allows us to sow deeper to seek sub-soil moisture and we have sown the variety up to 100 millimetres deep and achieved about 50 per cent emergence in years where there has been good subsoil moisture in early May and no significant rain on the horizon."
Mr Critch said Magenta also had good disease resistance, particularly to yellow spot and powdery mildew, which helped to keep in season fungicide costs down, "although all of our wheat is sown with Intake in furrow".
InterGrain Wheat West breeder Dan Mullan said growers should consider Magenta to diversify their wheat variety portfolio.
He said the mid-long season variety still holds a good place, particularly in northern WA, and enables growers to make the most of early sowing opportunities.
"Magenta has a great fit in seasons like 2016 where growers get an early break and want to start seeding in late April to get their crops up and out of the ground in warmer conditions to compete against weeds," he said.
"Because of Magenta's vigorous tillering ability it's important that growers consider their seeding rates to ensure that desired plant densities are achieved.
"Competitive cultivar research trials in 2010 and 2011 highlighted Magenta's competitive value with up to a 36pc yield improvement and 65pc reduction in weed seed set when compared to Wyalkatchem."
Mr Mullan said while Magenta is an excellent early sowing option, its best performance is observed when sown before May 15.
In reflecting on the 2015 season, when powdery mildew was a widespread problem, he observed Magenta's MR-MS rating provided lower levels of infection than seen in varieties with MS ratings or lower.
"Magenta has very good yellow spot resistance, one of the highest commercially available, therefore it is an effective option in wheat on wheat situations," he said.
National Variety Trial (NVT) pathology reports from 2015 rated Magenta as being resistant to leaf rust following the discovery of an eastern Australian pathotype being detected in WA.
In spring 2013 leaf rust pathotype 76-1,3,5,7,9,10,12,13+Lr37 was detected in WA and affected many varietal ratings including Mace, now rated as MS3.
While the impact of the new incursion detected in 2015 (104-1,3,4,6,7,8,10,12+Lr37) is still to be verified on Magenta, it remains a viable option.
Magenta is available for farmer to farmer trading in WA and InterGrain encourages growers to trade any excess seed with other growers.
