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.

• A similar season was experienced at the Scaddan research site with dry conditions until the last days of May and the first sowing date established with 15mm of irrigation.
• The second sowing date on 23 April was in general higher yielding and more profitable than 26 March but the significant interaction (p=0.001} between variety and sowing date illustrated that varieties responded differently to later sowing.
• Winter wheat yields did not improve at the second sowing date that emerged in May, whilst in contrast spring barley and wheat gave generally higher yields at the second sowing.
• Winter wheat {Mowhawk) yielded similarly {4.45t/ha) to the longer season spring types RockStar {4.31t/ha) and Denison {4.38t/ha) when sown in late March and gave similar profitability (note the winter wheat was not grazed in these experiments).
• Spring barley was again higher yielding than the wheat at both sowing dates, but the advantage of barley was smaller and profitability differences much smaller at both sowing dates.
• With the drier season at Scaddan compared to Gibson (April to October 196mm vs. 278.6mm) head numbers were slightly lower overall but spring barley tiller regrowth again led to significantly higher head numbers with RGT Planet and Neo CL than those observed in wheat.
• In general phenology observations illustrated that spring germplasm both barley and wheat were poorly adapted to late March sowing withflowering of the main stems occurring in June and July.
• However, results illustrated that these spring types compensated with their later forming tillers and had a protracted period of flowering that led to a "secondary crop" that was more in synchrony with the season in terms of light interception and spring temperatures.
• Grain quality was in general better at Scaddan than Gibson was higher test weights leading to better bin grades as a consequence the profitability of wheat and barley was better matched at this site.
• Although slower developing spring types such as Denison was later to flower than Scepter when planted in late March, it was still flowering too early {late July} and was equally just as dependent on the compensatory later tillers to support the grain yields produced.
• The long season wheat RGT Waugh did not flower until mid-October and with exceptionally dry conditions and above average temperatures in October produced less than lt/ha.
• Overall, the highest yielding and most profitable cereal crop was Neo CL sown 23 April (emerging in mid-May) because of yields that were 0.76t/ha higher than the best wheat {Scepter 5.08t/ha).
• The margin advantage of Neo CL over Scepter at this second sowing date was relatively small ($27/ha) since the bin grade of Neo CL was classed as feed whilst the Scepter made APWl.

Trial design: Factorial

Time of Sowing (2) x Variety (8)

Trial design: Factorial

Time of Sowing (2) x Variety (8)