New wheat to rival Mace

And this week the evolution of the most dominant and highest performing wheat variety across the region has been revealed as the new variety, Scepter.

Bred from Mace at the Australian Grain Technologies Roseworthy breeding centre, Scepter offers higher yields and, importantly for growers, improved rust resistance, compared with Mace.

AGT senior wheat breeder Haydn Kuchel said when Mace was released, it was a major step up for the industry.

“Mace raised the bar significantly, so initially it was challenging to identify a successor, however, from early stages of trialling, Scepter stood head and shoulders above anything else,’’ he said.

Dr Kuchel said three years of yield data across SA, Vic and WA had shown Scepter was, on average, 7 per cent higher yielding than Mace.

“Across these regions, it has been tested head-to-head with Mace on 42 occasions and it has beaten it 41 times.’’

Scepter involved a cross between Mace and another higher yielding breeder’s line, however most of its features are very similar to Mace.

“It is a couple of days later flowering, but otherwise it is the spitting image of Mace, with similar height, yellow leaf spot resistance, low screenings losses, good test weights and an AH (Australian Hard) quality classification,’’ Dr Kuchel said.

AGT marketing manager Dan Vater said Scepter had the same, wide adaptation and agronomic package as Mace and it maintained its good resistance to yellow leaf spot and cereal cyst nematode (CCN), which would be valuable in wheat-on-wheat situations.

Mr Vater said Scepter’s increased level of stripe rust resistance compared with Mace was another bonus, although crops would still need to be monitored and sprayed.

“It has some adult plant resistance, so it offers some level of protection later in the season, but growers will still need to monitor and look at preventative treatments in early growth stages,’’ he said.

Scepter seed for the 2016 season will be available through AGT Affiliates and local seed retailers.