Leading national cereal breeder InterGrain has launched Archer , a new single gene imidazolinone (IMI) tolerant oaten hay variety which will deliver agronomic and yield benefits to hay growers.
Bred by InterGrain partner, Grains Innovation Australia (GIA), Archer offers growers high yield and, quality oaten hay whilst also providing a new herbicide option for the hay rotation, significantly improving weed control.
GIA breeder, Dr Michael Materne, sees the release of Archer as a significant opportunity to expand hay production in shorter season areas.
“Archer ’s good stem strength will also be a benefit for early sowing and support hay, grazing or forage mixes with legumes,” said Dr Materne.
According to InterGrain’s Oat Breeder Dr Allan Rattey Archer is a mid-maturing oaten hay variety suitable for planting in the major hay growing regions of Australia.
“The variety has demonstrated excellent hay yield across a wide range of environments in Victoria, South and Western Australia, having a similar and in some environments slightly improved yield to Yallara and Brusher .
“Archer has adequate hay quality characteristics and can be suitable for the export market if managed appropriately. The new IMI oat has a medium height variety, with a medium stem thickness, good early vigour and hay colour retention.
“Preliminary data indicates a similar disease profile to Yallara , being moderately resistant to stem rust and moderately resistant to leaf rust in WA, although CCN in Archer may require proactive rotational management.”
“Archer was present in InterGrain’s 2021 trials (nine locations) as well as National Hay Agronomy (NHA) trials (six locations). A combination of 2022 paddock performance and data from InterGrain and NHA trials will provide an excellent opportunity to gather additional information for Archer .
InterGrain CEO Tress Walmsley said InterGrain and GIA are proud to have partnered with Nufarm to bring innovative herbicide technology systems to market to help Australian farmers overcome challenges in controlling weeds in their oaten hay.
“We recognise that the IMI technology in oaten hay systems is considered a highly useful tool within a cropping system, and collectively we have been working hard to deliver this tool to industry.
“From our work with Nufarm, Sentry® herbicide is currently registered for pre-planting incorporation by seeding (IBS) for hay and seed production in Archer .
“A Sentry® registration application for use in Archer grain (domestic feed market only) production has been submitted to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and a decision is expected in 2022.
“A successful registration will allow Archer to be consumed on-farm and sold into domestic feed markets, although Archer will be unable to be delivered to any local grain receival sites.”
InterGrain Oat Breeder Dr Allan Rattey launching new IMI hay oat Archer[pbr-logo] at Yerecoin, WA
Contact your local InterGrain Territory Manager here.
