A NEW wheat variety which has been specifically bred for high yields in mid to low rainfall environments has started to make its mark in the drier areas of the Wheatbelt.
Sting was developed by Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) as a quick-mid maturing wheat for regions with short growing seasons.
Western Australian grower Ben Strickland has recently harvested 70 hectares of Sting at his Pithara East farm, 250 kilometres north east of Perth and said he was impressed with the results.
"Having no rain and several days above 30 degrees Celsius is considered a normal finish for this area," Mr Strickland said.
Sting is a quicker maturing complement to Scepter.
It has similar maturity characteristics to the quick-mid variety Corack and can be grown as a high-yielding alternative to Corack, Vixen or LRPB Havoc.
Crucially, it does not have the very quick maturity of Vixen, offering growers a more flexible sowing window.
"We didn't plant our Sting until June 1," Mr Strickland said.
"It was the last wheat we planted and it performed just as well as Scepter, which went in at the start of May."
Late sowing ensured Sting was planted into soil with enough moisture to ensure reliable germination.
However, light rain in the following two months meant the crop was slow to establish.
"It was a warm winter and May, June and July all had very sparse rain," Mr Strickland said.
"In the end we had a total in-season rainfall of 120 millimetres and half of that fell during August.
"There was no rain at all from jointing right through to finishing."
Mr Strickland was happy with the final result of his Sting which, in a dry season, yielded 2.8 tonnes per hectare with less than five per cent screenings.
He said that compared very well to an adjacent paddock of Scepter, which was planted three-and-a-half weeks earlier and yielded 3t/ha.
"The grain that came off the Sting paddock was amazing - especially after its very late start," he said.
Now Mr Strickland is more than convinced Sting can deliver on its promises and he is keen to grow more of it.
"Sting will make up a third of my program next season," he said.
"That's how impressed I was."
Sting is available through AGT affiliates for 2021 sowing.
