Stripe rust-resistant seeds promise $50, savings on fungicide

THREE new, stripe rust-resistant seed varieties with the capacity to save West Australian farmers $50 million in fungicide costs are being released by Grain Biotech Australia for the 2003-2004 season.

GBA is a company specialising in innovative approaches to improve wheat crops, with its headquarters based in the ‘research motel’ facilities of Murdoch’s State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre at Murdoch University.

GBA’s wheat varieties – Sapphire, Ruby and Shenton – have been bred specifically for rust resistance and have passed through eight development cycles in four years of testing.

“These conventionally-bred seeds represent new wheat genetics for Western Australia,” said GBA chief executive Dr Ian Edwards.

“They are resistant to the WA strains of three rusts - including stripe rust - and have maintained their strong resistance through eight generations of testing.

“Under rust pressure at Kojonup in 2002, Shenton produced double the yield of Westonia.

“If these varieties were used across the wheatbelt, they have the potential to lop $50m off the annual fungicide costs incurred by WA farmers.

“They also are resistant to a number of other diseases including blackpoint and powdery mildew and are high-yielding with excellent dough stability.

“Sapphire, Shenton and Ruby are robust varieties with outstanding genetic strengths that make them ideally suited for the wide range of climate and soil conditions found in WA.

“They are the product of a world-class scientific team that enjoys a close business relations ship with the University of WA and Murdoch University, whose excellent facilities are leased by GBA.

Sapphire has been classified as Australian Prime hard in Queensland and NSW. Shenton and Ruby will be distributed by PlantTech and Sapphire will be distributed by Pioneer Hi-Bred Australia.