New wheat variety to “yield” improved profitability for WA growers

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Agriculture and Food Minister Ken Baston has officially launched a new high-performing Clearfield® Plus wheat variety which will be available for purchase for the 2015 season.

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Minister Ken Baston officially launching Impress CL Plus (Source: Twitter, Account: @InterGrain1)

Bred by InterGrain – a plant breeding company of which the State Government is the major shareholder – the Impress CL Plus is expected to be widely adopted by Western Australian wheat growers, particularly in the northern Wheatbelt.

“Impress CL Plus is an early to mid-maturing Australian Premium White variety that has demonstrated excellent yields. It comes with a robust disease package, with good resistance to yellow spot,” Mr Baston said in a media release.

“This variety, based on the well-known variety Wyalkatchem and being a two gene imidazolinone tolerant wheat, provides growers with a broader suite of weed control options.”

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Impress CL Plus is the first Clearfield® Plus wheat to be released by InterGrain since it was formed in 2007. The company is co-owned by the Department of Agriculture and Food, the Grains Research and Development Corporation and Monsanto.

Minister Baston said the release of the new variety showed the Government’s commitment to improving WA’s grain industry.

“The Government is committed to supporting initiatives like this, to improve the productivity and long-term profitability of the Western Australian grains industry,” he said.

“The development of new varieties provides a major advancement, which will have far reaching benefits to growers, industry and the State’s economy.”

According to the Minister, more detail on the new variety will be available at the 2015 WA Agribusiness Crop Updates at Crown Perth on 24-25 February, hosted by the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.