The 2024 Western Australian Crop Sowing Guide is now available, offering a detailed compendium to assist grain growers in planning next season's seeding program.
The comprehensive guide is produced by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), featuring data from the Grains Research and Development Corporation's National Variety Trials (NVT).
The annual publication has been updated with the latest agronomic information and advice to optimise crop potential, along with disease ratings and market/delivery information for wheat, barley, oats, canola and pulses, including lupin, lentil, field pea, chickpea, faba bean and vetch.
DPIRD crop science and grain production manager Bob French said the 2024 guide featured information on 19 new variety releases alongside the latest industry developments.
"The guide has NVT information on new releases, including six wheat, one barley (plus seven undergoing malt evaluation), 10 canola and two lupin varieties," Dr French said.
"In the guide, the grains research team from DPIRD use data from DPIRD trials and their many years of experience to add additional information to what is available from the NVT website about current variety choices for each crop.
"For barley and oat growers, the guide presents an alternative method of comparing yield and grain quality performance at sites with different yield potentials.
"Whether you have a yield potential of 2 t/ha or 4 t/ha can make a significant difference to the barley variety a grower would choose.
"Other important considerations include market conditions and locations of segregation sites - which are all included in the latest guide."
In the wheat section, more detail is provided on the influence of sowing time on performance and when other varieties flower relative to Scepter - the most widely grown wheat variety.
As well as the comprehensive information in each chapter, 'snapshots' are provided for key wheat, barley and oat varieties, providing a quick reference to the strengths and weaknesses of each variety.
"Simple and concise yield tables are presented for canola, which has a more rapid turnover of varieties than other commodities.
"Due to limited grower and agronomist experience with some pulses, staff from DPIRD and eastern state institutions, provide management guidelines for the individual pulse crops including specific herbicide options, sowing rate, time of sowing and much more."
The 2024 Western Australian Crop Sowing Guide can be downloaded from the www.agric.wa.gov.au website, with hard copies available from DPIRD offices, selected rural suppliers and on request from the website.
