Growers and advisers in Queensland and New South Wales can now access the latest independent varietal information with the release of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) National Variety Trials (NVT) Harvest Reports from the 2022 season.
The Harvest Reports are a valuable resource for growers that provides the most up-to-date disease ratings, grain quality results, and yield rankings from the NVT trials in Queensland and New South Wales. These trials are part of a nationwide network that encompasses more than 650 trials, covering 10 crop species, and sown at over 300 locations.
The NVT program is the largest co-ordinated field trial network of its kind in the world, fully administered by GRDC on behalf of Australian grain growers and the Australian Government.
GRDC NVT regional manager - north, Laurie Fitzgerald, says the reports contain the past five years of results for every NVT trial across Australia and are one of the most important channels for providing varietal results to the public.
“The reports compile the outcomes of all NVT trials conducted throughout Australia since 2018. They complement the state-based Sowing Guides that are published ahead of harvest and serve as a crucial decision-making tool for growers,” Mr Fitzgerald says.
“Conducted to a set of predetermined protocols, trials are sown and managed to reflect local best practice such as sowing time, fertiliser application, weed management, pest/disease control and fungicide application.”
Data from successful 2022 NVT trials have been fed into a multi-year, multi-environment trial (MET) variety performance analysis. These multi-year datasets for all crops and growing regions provide the most valuable information to support decision making around what to sow each year.
Mr Fitzgerald says GRDC also acknowledges the support of growers, who contribute and assist with the management of NVT trial sites on their properties.
“It wouldn’t be possible to undertake the NVT trials without the ongoing co-operation of these growers. We are so appreciative of their support and assistance,” Mr Fitzgerald says.
Results and analysis from the trials harvested in 2022 across the nation can be viewed at NVT Online. The NVT program evaluates near-release or released varieties each year, providing independent, consistent, timely, and robust comparative data of commercially available grain varieties.
Growers and advisers in Queensland and New South Wales are encouraged to base their variety decisions on more than just yield results. Selecting the best varieties for farming systems and local climate conditions is essential in the current environment where continued high input costs mean that varietal selection for optimal yield, grain quality, and best disease resistance are top of mind for growers and advisers.
Besides accessing the Harvest Reports, growers can also view trial data from their region via a clickable map and access tools such as the Long-Term Yield Reporter and NVT Disease Ratings.