Retired grower and former GRDC Western Panel chair Peter Roberts in a paddock of Hurdle wheat. Photo: CSIRO

THE dual-purpose Hurdle wheat variety will be showcased to growers at a field walk in Western Australia on Thursday week as being an earner, even if it is struck by adverse weather events such as unseasonal heat and frost.

CSIRO chief research scientist Greg Rebetzke, who led the team that bred Hurdle, said it could be used for grazing, hay or grain, and provides greater certainty of income for growers in the face of extreme climate events.

“This new wheat was developed in response to the challenges of climate change experienced by growers,” Dr Rebetzke said.

“You can imagine the frustration of a grain grower left with nothing at the end of a long season, because of crop damage due to extreme weather events such as heat and frost.

“This new dual-purpose wheat, if it is affected by extreme weather, will offer growers a choice of grazing or cutting for hay or can be sold for grain.”

Ten years in the making

Hurdle came about after Dr Rebetzke joined the Grain Research and Development Corporation Western Panel for a spring 2016 tour through the Lake Grace region of WA following a significant frost at flowering.

“Wheat crops were decimated with little opportunity for any grain yield for growers.

“The panel spoke with Lake Grace growers who were frustrated with how regularly wheat crops were damaged by frost.”

Also on that spring tour was now retired farmer Peter Roberts, then chair of GRDC’s Western Panel, who said the meeting with Dr Rebetzke was a fortuitous one that has led to a great outcome for growers.

“Properties like ours in the eastern and southern WA Wheatbelt were becoming increasingly prone to frost, so we were being forced to plant later and then have heat affect our crops at the end of the season, leading to reduced yield and quality,” Mr Roberts said.

“I spent three days with Greg in the spring of 2016 discussing the range of challenges being faced in the industry and showing him first-hand how frost had fried that season’s wheat crops, leaving growers devastated.”

After meeting with growers, Dr Rebetzke started working with his team on a response which first led to the release of dual-purpose hay and grain wheat varieties Bale and Dual.

These wheats were released in 2021, with support from LongReach Plant Breeder’s Colin Edmondson and hay industry stalwart Mike Faulkner of AgriLink.

“These two varieties were the first dedicated hay-grain wheats in many years and arose through close connection with industry to deliver to growers,” Dr Rebetzke said.

“The new higher-yielding variety, Hurdle, which is named after Hurdle Creek in WA where the meeting with growers first took place, is a great example of how CSIRO can respond to the needs of industry.

“It builds on earlier work we did developing the Bale and Dual wheat lines which were well accepted by growers, by enhancing genetics to deliver higher yield and larger grain size.”

Dr Greg Rebetzke.

Dr Rebetzke and Mr Roberts will be joined by LongReach Plant Breeders and growers, along with GRDC and industry representatives on a field walk to showcase Hurdle before its commercial release through LongReach in the coming months.

The Field Walk will start at 11am on Thursday at Hurdle Gully, Dwelyerdine Rd, Tincurrin.

Hurdle was one of nine varieties to be added to the national Wheat Variety Master List in the 2026-2027 edition released July 31.

The Grains Australia-administered list states CSIRO-LRPB Hurdle as being an APW main-season wheat for WA, South Australia, and Victoria.

Source: CSIRO