INTERGRAIN has released its newest Australian Hard (AH) wheat, Vixen, an early-mid maturing AH wheat for the southern and south-eastern classification zones, covering South Australia, Victoria and southern New South Wales.

InterGrain breeder Allan Rattey

Extensive trials by InterGrain for the past five years and the National Variety Trials (NVT) program in 2017 (as line IGW4279) have shown Vixen has an estimated 5-6 per cent yield advantage over Condo in southern NSW and 7-8pc advantage compared to Corack and Mace in Victoria.

It has demonstrated similar yields to Scepter, although with its earlier maturity makes it a very attractive alternative and provides increased sowing option flexibility.

Long-term NVT Multi Environment Trials (MET) analyses indicate Vixen has slightly higher end-yield potential compared to Scepter in the Southern and South-Eastern regions.

Launching the new variety at the Baker Seed Co Field Day in Rutherglen, Victoria, InterGrain wheat breeder Dr Allan Rattey told growers it was apt that the cunningly-named Vixen was being released in an area renowned for the cunning activities of outlaw bushranger Ned Kelly.

“Growers here saw first-hand, in the paddock, its potential in a very tough season that has thrown-up dry conditions through winter and spring,” he said.

Dr Rattey said the InterGrain team had seen Vixen show excellent yield stability across multiple years and locations in the southern and south-eastern regions.

He said not only was Vixen the highest yielding early maturing AH wheat now available to growers throughout South Australia, Victoria and southern NSW, it offered a very solid disease resistance package with good yellow leaf spot, stripe rust and stem rust resistance.

“It is rated moderately resistant to moderately susceptible (MRMS) for all three of these common and costly wheat diseases,” he said.

Dr Rattey said Vixen was an exciting new line to come to the market for growers seeking a high yielding wheat option for mid-May sowing.

“Vixen’s overall high yield, coupled with its early-mid maturity and high-end yield potential provides seasonal flexibility by handling tough seasonal conditions whilst maximising yield in favourable seasons,” he said.

“It also has the agronomic advantage of a medium plant height, similar to Mace, which helps to reduce stubble loads in high yielding environments.

“Vixen will be a useful tool for disease control programs in wheat-on-wheat rotations, especially where cereal cyst nematode (CCN) is effectively managed.

“But it is worth noting that Vixen is rated moderately susceptible to susceptible (MSS) for CCN and this will need to be managed by growers in their rotation planning, and using CCN resistant crops and varieties, such as Spartacus CL, within the crop sequence.”

Vixen is available for planting in 2019. Seed supplies are limited, but available through local Seedclub members and/or resellers.

Source: InterGrain, https://www.intergrain.com/variety/vixen/