Victorian crop sowing guide

The Victorian and Tasmanian Crop Sowing Guide outlines information on current varieties of the major winter crops grown in Victoria and Tasmania. The publication aims to prompt growers to ask themselves, ‘Am I growing the best variety for my situation?’

Growers are encouraged to use this publication as a guide for discussion with consultants, advisers and marketing agents.

It’s important for growers and advisers to review disease resistance ratings around March each year in the Agriculture Victoria cereal and pulse disease guides to ensure they know the current resistance ratings of varieties.

The latest National Variety Trials (NVT) data is also available early in the year, through the website and the Harvest Reports.

The Victorian Crop Sowing Guide was compiled by the South Australian Research and Development Corporation and published by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).

National Variety Trials (NVT)

The variety trials presented in this guide are sourced from the NVT program. NVT also provides data from some breeding trials to add to the information available.

In Victoria, NVTs are fully funded by GRDC.

NVTs provide independent information on varieties for growers. The aim of each NVT is to document a ranking of new and widely adopted varieties in terms of grain yield and to provide grain quality information relevant to delivery standards.

NVTs are also used by pathologists to determine disease resistance ratings used in this sowing guide.

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
• 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.

Download the guide

Download the full guide to your computer or tablet from the GRDC website.

To ensure you receive a copy in the mail each year, subscribe to GRDC GroundCover.