Cereal breeding company InterGrain is excited to launch Minnie , a new milling oat variety with a short-medium stature and big yield performance.
Launched by InterGrain Oat Breeder Dr Allan Rattey at the OATSPO field day in Narrogin on Tuesday 10 September, Minnie has excellent yield potential and is well suited to medium-high rainfall oat growing areas. Minnie recently received milling accreditation by Grains Australia’s Oat Variety Classification Committee.
Minnie , tested as breeding code 15010-09, is a mid-slow maturing milling oat with a short-medium plant stature. It offers a strong improvement for physical grain quality, with good test weight and low screenings.
Dr Allan Rattey, InterGrain’s Oat Breeder, says Minnie has shown promise with excellent yield, standability and quality potential since InterGrain took over the National Oat Breeding Program (NOBP) in 2021.
“Minnie has stood out as not only an excellent yielding oat but its short-medium stature allows for improved lodging tolerance and easy harvestability. This makes Minnie a great option for growers within the medium-high rainfall areas looking for a milling oat.
“Within InterGrain’s WA yield trials, Minnie has performed similarly to Goldie and shown yield improvement over Bannister and Williams.
“Minnie has a mid-slow maturity, similar to Bannister and is well suited for mid-April onwards sowing.
“Minnie’s offers a good disease resistance profile including excellent leaf rust (RMRp) and CCN (Rp) and adequate Septoria (MSSp).
“Minnie may not be suitable as a dual purpose variety due to its short-medium stature, although further testing to determine its ability as a hay variety is underway.”
With a recent successful milling accreditation, Minnie has been added to the oat master list and can be delivered as a milling oat at harvest 2025.
Minnie was bred in 2015 and selected in early generation stages by Dr Pamela Zwer and the NOBP team led by South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).
Minnie seed is available for the 2025 season through local resellers and Seedclub Members in WA and and will be available in SA, Victoria and southern NSW in 2026.
New InterGrain milling oat varieties in the paddock this season, Goldie (L) and Minnie (R)
Dr Allan Rattey launching Minnie at OATSPO in Highbury, WA
