Date Posted
18 May, 2020
Posted by
Helen Cook
Sugarcane growers and millers in the Southern Region will have access to a new sugarcane variety developed by Sugar Research Australia (SRA) for next year’s planting.
The new variety, called SRA29, has been approved for release by a committee of sugarcane growers and millers of the Southern Region and its release follows extensive development and trials led by SRA.
SRA Southern Region Plant Breeder, Mr Roy Parfitt, said that in SRA’s trials SRA29 had produced good tonnes of cane per hectare with sugar content equal to the existing major varieties of the region.
“In our trials, SRA29 kept good productivity in ratoons, after being tested out to the third ratoon crop. Overall it has good disease resistance, and good fibre characteristics to allow efficient processing within the region’s sugar mills,” Mr Parfitt said.
He said the variety had been tested on a range of farms across the Southern Region.
Maryborough farmer Bryce Cronau has seen the variety in a trial located on land leased by MSF Sugar and he said that SRA29 showed good promise as a new variety option within the Southern Region.
“In that trial, it had tough conditions with the season and soil type, but it has come through looking good with a strong stool. So this variety has definitely shown it can stand up to the tough times,” Mr Cronau said.
The variety will be available for distribution to growers for planting next year.
Mr Parfitt thanked all of SRA’s farm collaborators, members of the Regional Variety Committee, and the local productivity services organisations in their ongoing collaboration with the local breeding program.
More information on SRA29, and other sugarcane varieties for the Southern Region, will be available in the 2020/21 SRA Variety Guide for the region, which will be available for growers and millers of the region later this year.