This one-year project was set to evaluate the role of winter wheat in WA M-HRZ farming systems of the south coast (Esperance and Albany Port Zones). Specifically, the project looked to evaluate the performance and profitability of winter wheat sown in the late March/early April sowing window. Individual objectives of the project were as follows:

• To examine the role of winter wheat in rotations along the south coast of WA in the Esperance and Albany Port Zones compared to spring wheat germplasm.
• To explore this possible role of winter wheat in relation to sowing date and spring wheat germplasm with different phenology (quicker and slower developing spring wheats).
• At the different sow dates covering late March/early April and late April/May comparing profitability and performance of these wheats to spring barley germplasm.
• To evaluate the different management needs of winter wheat in relation to the other cereal groups being tested.

• With extremely dry conditions until late May this site despite its location in the HRZ this site was the lowest yielding with generally lower plant numbers established from the first two sowings.
• Mowhawk winter wheat was the highest yielding wheat at the late March sowing date and although it was not significantly better than the longer season spring wheats RockStar and Denison all were significantly better than lllabo.
• The grain yield of both spring barley varieties was significantly better than all the wheat types tested with Neo CL giving a yield 2t/ha better than wheat.
• As was found in previous studies with RGT Accroc, the longer season wheat RGT Waugh was not suitable for planting in the EPZflowering a month after the optimum flowering window.
• There was a significant interaction (p<0.001} between sowing date and variety with late April sowings {23 April) being higher yielding than late March sowings, except Mowhawk.
• The third time of sowing {10 May) gave similar yields to those crops established in late April.
• Higher yields of barley were reflected in higher harvest dry matters and harvest indices.
• Neither spring barley nor spring wheat was adapted to the early sowing date with crops flowering in the middle of winter (June/July}, compared to winter wheats, which flowered much later in mid-late August.
• However, although main stem growth was poor because of the early sowing, good rainfall in August underpinned renewed tillering in the spring germplasm (both wheat and barley) that compensated and ultimately supported crops that were higher yielding and had a phenology that was more suited to optimum flowering windows.
• The tiller compensation in spring wheat produced head numbers that were not dissimilar to winter wheat crops sown at the same time.
• In contrast the compensation observed in spring barley that led to higher harvest dry matter and harvest indices was manifest in significantly higher head numbers than those produced by the wheat types tested.
• Grain quality produced primarily feed grain quality products, with test weights being primarily responsible for poorer grades in both wheat and barley.
• Spring barley despite its poor adaptation to late March sowing in terms of phenology was the more profitable crop sown at this site, although its overall profitability was better when sowing was delayed until late April or mid-May.

TRial design; Factorial 

Time of Sowing (3) X variety (8)

TRial design; Factorial 

Time of Sowing (3) X variety (8)