AUSTRALIAN Grain Technologies (AGT) has released a new ASW wheat variety, Razor CL Plus, which it says has the highest yield potential of any of its Clearfield varieties.

AGT’s James Edwards and Dan Vater.

“We believe that Razor CL Plus offers the best overall package of yield, adaptation and disease resistance out of all of the currently available Clearfield varieties,” AGT wheat breeder, James Edwards, said.

Clearfield cereal varieties are tolerant to Intervix herbicide, and AGT said they have become an integral part of in-crop weed management in South Australia and Victoria.

The trade-off has been that AGT’s Clearfield varieties, Kord CL Plus and Grenade CL Plus, have yielded well below Mace and Scepter, the highest-yielding non-Clearfield varieties.

AGT said Razor CL Plus offers yields competitive with Mace and Scepter, along with tolerance to Intervix herbicide.

Long-term NVT yield predictions show that Razor CL Plus offers a 12-13 per cent yield advantage over Grenade CL Plus and Kord CL Plus, a 3pc yield increase over its parent, Mace, and a 7pc yield advantage over another newly released Clearfield variety, Chief CL Plus.

“Being bred from Mace, Razor CL Plus shows the same wide adaptation as its parent, but is slightly quicker maturing, which can be an advantage in lower-rainfall environments where the Clearfield system is particularly useful to help control brome and barley grass.”

“Growers need to decide whether a high-yielding ASW variety is more profitable than a lower-yielding APW or AH variety,” AGT marketing manager, Dan Vater, said.

“It will depend on the price split between the quality grades at time of sale, how often they produce grain that actually makes the higher grades, and the intent behind using a Clearfield variety. ”

Generally, Clearfield varieties are used on problem paddocks where the grower may opt to produce ASW wheat instead of aiming for higher grades if the result is a greater yield and increased weed-control options.

Razor CL Plus seed will be available through AGT Affiliates for the 2018 planting season, and is subject to an End Point Royalty of $3.30 plus per tonne.

Source: AGT