Access to independent and locally relevant performance data on commercially available varieties is fundamental when planning crop choices. The National Variety Trials (NVT) program provides that data.

Since its inception in 2005, it has guided grain growers and advisers with consistent, timely and accurate information on commercial varieties.

While this has helped accelerate superior variety adoption, importantly, it has also ensured that growers avoid unsuitable varieties and farming systems’ profitability is optimised.

For the past two decades, the NVT program has aimed to test varieties on growers’ paddocks in a way that is easily comparable and that reflects regional conditions.

This testing includes grain yields, disease and pest responses, and grain quality traits for wheat, barley, canola, chickpeas, faba beans, field peas, lentils, lupins, oats and sorghum.

Without growers across the country who generously host the trials – some across the program’s two decades – this would not be possible.

The program is starting an honour roll of grower hosts to acknowledge their contribution to its success.

Not all lines or varieties are tested at each location, but entries are not restricted by state boundaries. Commercial varieties that are widely grown are used as performance comparisons.

Trial management and data collection are managed by independent service providers under strict protocols, and all trial data is processed and analysed centrally through the NVT database by expert biometricians.

The massive dataset collected has also helped research. For example, Grains Australia is tapping into historical data to create pulse quality frameworks.

Other stories highlight the people behind the largest coordinated field trial network of its kind in the world, which is helping breeders to continually develop new varieties.

Industry experts are engaged from each region on regional advisory committees to provide expert advice on the operations.

Celebrating 20 years of a program in 24 pages is a challenge. The stories in GroundCover^™ Supplement – Celebrating 20 years of NVT are a snapshot of the people, programs and organisations that have contributed to the NVT’s success.

Enjoy reflecting on the past 20 years of NVT and I look forward to building the next 20 with you.

Keep an eye on GroundCover to read more about:

• Trial service providers
• How NVT data is helping in other trials
• NVT Advisory Committees.