Australia: New low rainfall zone barley variety may replace Hindmarsh and even be accredited for malting

A low rainfall cropping region replacement for the popular Hindmarsh variety could be commercially available by 2014 according to marketing manager with InterGrain, Ash Brooks, Stock & Land reported on September, 24.

Ms. Brooks said she hopes, unlike Hindmarsh, it will be an accredited malt variety.

The as-yet unnamed IGB1101 is being bred as a low rainfall zone barley, and Ms Brooks, speaking in north western Victoria at last week’s Birchip Cropping Group (BCG) expo said it had showed promise in field trials.

"In terms of yield, it’s been pretty good and it also has a good disease-resistance package," she said.

Data has shown it yields virtually identically to Hindmarsh in low rainfall zones, and should it gain malt accreditation it will have a significant yield advantage of the current malt barleys grown in drier areas such as Baudin and Commander.

The difficult one, however, will be getting malt accreditation, but Ms Brooks said the variety was going through the accreditation process.

"It’s gone through the first stage of accreditation, and there will be more tests done with this season’s crop," she said.

"We don’t know how it will go, but we’re obviously hopeful it will make the grade."

The grain quality tests so far have been excellent, with good grain size and test weight, along with good resistance to sprouting.

26 September, 2012