Victorian Winter Crop Summary 2012
Updated: March 2012
The Victorian Winter Crop Summary provides information on current varieties of the major winter crops grown in Victoria. More detailed information on agronomic performance, pests and diseases can be obtained from a range of sources.
An important role of the Winter Crop Summary is to offer a guide to crop variety choice. Each crop chapter covers the important attributes of varieties in current use and the expectations for new releases. The emphasis is on;
- yield
- quality performance as rated by marketing agencies and end-users
- reaction to diseases.
Disease reaction is generally cited using the nationally agreed protocol of; R= Resistant, MR= Moderately resistant, MS= Moderately susceptible, S=Susceptible and VS = Very susceptible.
At the time of publication, varieties which are subject to PBR are annotated with the symbol 
. It should be noted that 'Unauthorised commercial propagation or any sale, conditioning, export, import or stocking of propagation material of these varieties is an infringement under the Plant Breeders Right Act 1994 and that any breaching of PBR law is punishable by a maximum $50 000 fine for each offence'
The majority of variety trials presented are sourced from the National Variety Trial (NVT) program. NVTs in Victoria are fully funded by Grains Research and Development Corporation and in 2011 were contracted to two Service Providers, Agrisearch Services Pty Ltd and South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).
National Variety Trials provide independent information on varieties for growers. The aim of each NVT is to document, for growers, a ranking of new and widely adopted varieties in terms of grain yield and to provide grain quality information relevant to delivery standards. Detailed information from the NVT program is available on the website, www.nvtonline.com.au.Conducted to a set of predetermined protocols, NVTs are sown and managed as close as possible to local best practice such as sowing time, fertiliser application, weed management and pest and disease control, including fungicide application. NVTs are not designed to grow varieties to their maximum yield potential.
It is acknowledged that an ongoing project of this type would not be possible without the cooperation of farmers prepared to contribute sites and who often assist with the management of trials on their property.
The summary is split into 10 chapters on:
