Date Time
Northern trials probe moisture-seeking wheats Long coleoptile wheat lines are being trialled at sites across Queensland and NSW this season. This trial site at Emerald was planted earlier this month. Photo supplied.
The development of ‘long coleoptile’ genetics that allow wheat plants to establish on moisture deeper in the soil has attracted strong interest from grain growers looking to improve crop establishment and therefore yields in a drying climate.
The coleoptile is the protective sheath enclosing the emerging shoot and first leaves, and the longer it is, the greater the emergence potential from deeper in the soil, as discussed in a recent GRDC video with CSIRO wheat breeder Greg Rebetzke.
Date Time
Trials to dive deep into moisture-seeking wheats
The development of ‘long coleoptile’ genetics that allows wheat to access moisture deep in the soil has attracted strong interest from growers looking to maximise yields in a warming and drying climate.
The coleoptile is the protective sheath enclosing the emerging shoot and first leaves, and the longer it is, the greater the emergence potential from deeper in the soil, as discussed in a recent Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) video featuring CSIRO chief research scientist Greg Rebetzke.
Wheat lines containing the longer coleoptile trait have not yet been commercially released but are being progressed by breeding companies after the identification and development of genetics, particularly by CSIRO.