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InterGrain - "Bonnie Rock"
Wheat protection yields results
A high-performance wheat variety, 'Bonnie Rock' is contributing to Australia's reputation as a market leader in agribusiness
On the day of the release of Bonnie Rock, the first occurrence of debilitating stripe rust was reported in Western Australia. The timing could not have been worse. For leading wheat breeder InterGrain, which developed Bonnie Rock, some quick decisions were required to ward off the threat of the rust, a fungal disease that can ravage crops.
"The challenge was deciding whether it was in the best interests of the industry to continue with Bonnie Rock," says team leader Robin Wilson, adding that the rust problem could have affected the entire wheat sector. "It was decided that if Bonnie Rock was grown in areas where stripe rust was of lesser consequence, growers could still reap the benefits of this variety."
Demand for quality
The success today of Bonnie Rock is testament to the value of this variety and vindicates the decision to continue production. The Australian wheat industry is an international powerhouse and competition for irrigated land is fierce. With the cost of production skyrocketing, demand for quality varieties with exceptional yield has never been greater.
InterGrain has been at the forefront of such efforts through a team of breeders, scientists and technicians working to deliver varieties that provide high performance at a cost-effective price. In 1990, it crossed two unnamed wheat lines with the aim of combining high-yielding germplasm pools that also had some rust-resistant properties. More than a decade later, the release of Bonnie Rock set a new standard in high-performance wheat.
A competitive edge
Tresslyn Walmsley, commercial manager of InterGrain, says Plant Breeder's Rights (PBR), which grant exclusive rights to a registered variety, have been instrumental to Bonnie Rock's success. They facilitate a fair and competitive wheat-breeding environment by supporting the development of high-performance varieties.
"Growers can expect to be serviced by a number of different breeding organisations, and protection offered by PBR has encouraged private investment in grain breeding, rendering Australian wheat breeders as world leaders in innovation," she explains. "Using PBR, we can also control where Bonnie Rock is grown and therefore keep it out of disease-prone areas."
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