Long Coleoptile Wheat on Eyre Peninsula

Improving the reliability of earlyestablishment plays an role in increasing water and yield potential cropping environ­Establishing plants earlier extends the growinga crop, and when with optimal phenology, more time for a plant todevelop resources that ultimately contribute to grain fill and yield.Seeding deeper, into soil moisture present below the 'normal seeding bed' may help to establishplants earlier without relying onan autumn break for germination. Currently, wheat growers arerestricted to a seeding depth of 3-5 cm because modern wheat varieties have a shortened coleoptileassociated with dwarfing genes that were introduced in the 1960's to increase yields. Thelength of a coleoptile restricts seeding depth because it is a hollow shoot that protects the firstleaves as they grow towards the soil surface during germination. Breeders have now identifiedan alternate dwarfing gene 'Rht18' that allows a coleoptile up to 12 cm long, whilst maintainingthe reduced height associated with modern high yielding wheat varieties.The trials reported here assessed the performance of long coleoptile wheats in an Eyre Peninsulafarming system.