The 2019 South Australian Crop Sowing Guide is now available to support growers with their variety choices ahead of next year’s sowing programs.
The publication is available on the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) website at and copies will also be arriving soon in growers’ letter boxes.
The SA Crop Sowing Guide has been published by the GRDC in partnership with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), which is a division of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA), and the South Australian Grain Industry Trust (SAGIT).
GRDC’s National Variety Trials (NVT) acting senior manager, Rob Wheeler, says the publication is an important resource for SA growers as it provides information on disease resistance ratings and variety performance at a time when growers are planning their seed requirements for 2019.
"The Sowing Guide, presented in a new user-friendly style, is designed to assist growers in making the best variety decisions for their individual situations," Mr Wheeler says.
"It prompts growers to ask whether they are growing the best variety for their location, environment and farming system."
Mr Wheeler says the majority of grain yield and quality data provided in the summary is sourced from the GRDC NVT program of comparative crop variety testing, with data from some breeding trials added to the information available.
"Results from the NVT program are also used by pathologists to determine disease resistance ratings presented in the SA Crop Sowing Guide. It is important that growers check the disease resistance ratings each year for any changes from the previous season.
"Overall, the guide brings together NVT data from the previous season, long term multi-environment trial yield predictions, disease ratings, quality data and agronomic information."
Andrew Ware, who leads SARDI’s New Variety Agronomy Science Program, says the publication provides growers with data and guidance on the most important selection criteria for varieties of wheat, barley, lupins, vetch, chickpeas, canola, oats, lentils, field peas and beans.
"This selection criteria includes grain yield, quality, developmental speed and disease resistance."
Mr Ware says growers need to consider their specific farm and paddock situation and make their selection based on all available information and in consultation with their advisers and marketing agents.
The 2019 SA Crop Sowing Guide contains some new varieties for growers’ consideration.
