RockStar lived up to its reputation as a high yielding, mid-slow maturing wheat in its first year on
Tom and Lucinda Bourchier’s Gymbowen property last season.
Delivering a yield of 7.4t/ha per hectare compared to their best performing existing variety
Scepter, at 7t/ha, and Catapult at 6.7t/ha, within their on-farm paddock trial, they were prompted to plan for sowing RockStar across 75 per cent of their 2021 wheat program.
InterGrain’s latest wheat release RockStar appeared promising with the couple deciding to trial
the variety, sowing two tonnes of seed in 2020.
The Bourchier’s planted 24ha of RockStar on May 9-10 in 2020, as part of a paddock-scale trial
with Scepter and Catapult, all sown at 82 kilograms/ha.
It was sown into bean stubble with 80kg/ha of Granulock and 40kg/ha of urea at sowing.
The paddock then received an extra 220kg/ha of urea throughout the season.
Mr Bourchier said the season was exceptional, rain fell at all the right times – with us receiving a
total of 350mm of GSR rainfall and 470 millimetres for the year.
He said, although that was about the average for their farm, they did experience a drier
June and July period.
“Luckily this was followed by above-average rainfall in September and October,” he said.
“That was a major contributor to the exceptionally high yields for all of our crops.”
He said all three varieties achieved ASW specification, as protein levels were slightly down due
to the exceptional yields.
“We have been long term Scepter growers, because it has been a solid performer for us across
a range of different seasons,” he said.
“But now we will drop back Scepter to about 25 per cent of our wheat plantings this year and
plant a larger area of RockStar.
According to InterGrain Wheat Breeder Dan Mullan, growers have welcomed RockStar as an
exceptionally high yielding variety which has consistently performed across different environments and sowing dates in national InterGrain and NVT trials, highlighting its yield
stability.
Dr Mullan said a big advantage of RockStar was that it offered a robust disease package,
including good yellow spot (MRMS), stem (MR) and stripe rust (MRMS – pathotype dependent)
resistance.
He said RockStar was moderately susceptible to susceptible to CCN and growers in susceptible
areas would need to manage this potential risk with CCN resistant break crops.
RockStar is available for planting from Seedclub members, resellers and through farmer-to-farmer trade.
For more information about RockStar click here or contact InterGrain Territory Manager Katherine Munn kmunn@intergrain.com or 0436 801 161
PHOTO: Gymbowen grower Tom Bourchier with his daughter Chelsea
