InterGrain wheats RockStar and Vixen this week added yet another credential to their pedigrees with receipt of an upgraded classification, APH (Australian Prime Hard) in the South-Eastern (Southern NSW) classification zone. RockStar also received APH in the northern zone.
This is a landmark occasion for the leading cereal breeder with APH achievement being a company first, highlighting the business’ commitment to national wheat breeding.
The potential financial windfall is expected to be well received by growers and is just another plus for the already popular varieties. These classification upgrades may attract price premiums over AH of up to $20 a tonne.
InterGrain CEO Tress Walmsley says, “We are thrilled to now have two varieties with an APH classification*, this is a significant breeding milestone for our company and follows strategic investment in wheat quality testing.
“We’ve been focused on improving milling and end-product baking qualities within our germplasm and are pleased to have delivered broadly adapted varieties with premium quality classification opportunities for New South Wales and Queensland growers*.
InterGrain wheat breeder Dan Mullan explained that APH classified varieties which meet specification are high protein wheats, which provide excellent flour milling yields with good dough strength, typically suited to high volume breads and a range of noodles.
“RockStar and Vixen can now offer growers, in the newly classified regions, a welcome income bonus at the business end of the season in addition to the seasonal diversity and flexibility they offer in planting regimes and time to flowering.
“They both have similar genetics, despite possession of different maturities; hence both show very stable yields across diverse seasons.
“Vixen is significantly earlier maturing but maintains high yield potential, uncharacteristic of wheats in that maturity class, while RockStar is a mid to slow maturing variety that is well suited to earlier sowings,” Dr Mullan said.
With a long history of meeting specific end-use market requirements, APH has become a very strong breeding focus for InterGrain as it develops its national variety footprint.
“Delivering high value wheats into premium-paying, established markets is the sharp end of grain growing, hence our recent variety releases and receipt of premium quality classifications reflect this focus,” Dr Mullan explained.
*RockStar has an APH classification in both the South-Eastern and Northern Wheat Quality Australia Classification zones. Vixen has an APH classification in the South-Eastern (Southern NSW) zone.
InterGrain CEO Tress Walmsley at the company’s Bibra Lake Head Office End-Products Quality Lab.
Media Contact:
Ash Brooks – Senior Marketing Lead – 0476 020 451 or abrooks@intergrain.com
Territory Manager – Katherine Munn, kmunn@intergrain.com or 0436 801 161.
