Northern Wheatbelt agribusiness Independent Rural has become a beacon for its considerable effort in conducting farm-scale crop trials for local growers and its latest research is prompting stronger uptake of a new canola variety in the region.
Local Independent Rural store branch manager and agronomist Nigel Routledge said the trials had mainly focused on canola varieties and been co-ordinated in the Northampton area, while some trials also had been conducted in the area serviced by the company's Perenjori business.
"Our first canola variety trial was around 2016-17 and they are replicated farm-scale trials,'' Mr Routledge said.
"We like to do about four runs to gather the most accurate dataset we can.
"We put new varieties up against standard lines, as we want to compare them and see the data for our own area - and from the larger sites."
Mr Routledge said the new varieties had become popular with local growers.
"We have also involved the Northern Agri Group and Yuna Farm Improvement Group,'' he said.
"Growers are seeing that we are conducting trials independently of the seed companies and it gives them confidence with their decisions."
Mr Routledge said last season the trials were staged further north, near Binnu, and they experienced tough seasonal conditions, with only about 150 millimetres of rainfall recorded for the year, of which 50mm was received over summer.
Despite the difficult conditions, canola varieties in the trials achieved an average yield of about one tonne per hectare.
One of the latest TruFlex hybrid canola varieties, Hunter TF from Nuseed, notched 1.25t/ha.
Nuseed WA market development manager Michael Hickey said Hunter TF was an early to mid-maturing hybrid variety with strong adaptability from low through to high rainfall regions and a good profile against disease.
He said it had demonstrated excellent vigour and a compact growth habit, allowing good harvestability and with improved pod shatter tolerance.
"We had nine varieties in the trial and Hunter TF was fourth best for yield and higher than the mid-range overall,'' Mr Hickey said, following the Binnu trials.
"It was third for oil content, so was certainly a strong performer.
"It's looking at least as good as 44Y27 and 44Y30, which have been yardstick varieties in this region.
"Hunter had good early vigour and structured up well against them.
"Harvestability is a big factor for growers and tall canola varieties can be a problem.
"Winds also pick up leading into harvest and pod shatter can be a big issue, so growers will definitely be looking at this positive trait with Hunter."
Mr Hickey said following its excellent yield performance in the trials, there already was strong uptake of Hunter TF by growers for their canola programs next season.
"Another Nuseed TruFlex variety, Emu, is a true early variety, whereas Hunter is a little longer maturing, so can be sown earlier,'' he said.
"With its early to mid-maturity, it is highly adaptable."
"Emu is a great variety for a lot of conditions and, in a more normal season, Hunter may be slightly higher yielding, so Nuseed have a couple of great TruFlex varieties in the system."
More information on Hunter TF and other Nuseed canola varieties, contact your local Nuseed area sales manager or sales agent.
