Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 7617 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 195 ­ – Rice R&D 2016 in Table 2. Interpretation of the results is often complex with different growth durations of varieties affecting factors like the timing of microspore and flowering as well as haying off and lodging, which can impact grain yield of some varieties and not others in individual experiments. In a brief summary, Sherpa yielded significantly higher than Reiziq in three experiments, had the same yield in three experiments and had a lower yield in one experiment. YRM70, a short season potential replacement for Reiziq, produced the highest grain yield at the Yenda site, but the yield of both Reiziq and Sherpa was reduced by early draining and haying off. At the Leeton site, where the field remained flooded until all varieties were past physiological maturity, there was no difference in grain yield between YRM70, Reiziq and Sherpa. The grain yield of all varieties was slightly less under delayed permanent water (DPW) than conventional drill but at the Jerilderie site the sowing date was too late for DPW and some varieties were severely impacted by cold at early pollen microspore (EPM). Phenology The time that a variety takes to reach critical growth stages, such as panicle initiation (PI) and flowering, has a big impact on its management, particularly the sowing window. The timing of these growth stages can move a little between seasons due to different temperatures and also vary with sowing method and irrigation management. It is important that varieties are sown at the correct time for EPM to occur when there is the highest probability of warm minimum temperatures (i.e. from 15 January to 5 February). Sowing earlier or later than the recommended window increases the risk of low temperatures during EPM, which can dramatically reduce grain yield. Early sowing can also result in grain fill occurring during periods of high temperature, which can reduce whole grain millout. The time of sowing or first flush, panicle initiation, microspore and flowering for each variety at a commercial nitrogen rate, in each experiment is shown in Figure 1. Sherpa is on average five days earlier to reach flowering than Reiziq, but when both are sown late their number of days to flowering is similar. The two new varieties near potential release, YRM70 and YRK5, are both shorter in maturity than Reiziq and Sherpa, flowering 10–14 days earlier. Phenology results from three seasons of experiments conducted in the rice NIR and remote sensing project (see page 48) have been combined with results for the 2015–16 season from this project to update the recommended sowing window for current varieties. The updated sowing windows have been included in the 2016 RiceVariety Guide and will be discussed at rice pre-season meetings. Grain quality Grain samples have been sequentially collected, from six experiments across varieties and nitrogen treatments, as they matured and went below 23% grain moisture. Collection of grain at this moisture level allows quality results to be determined before environmental factors such as rain or temperature fluctuations significantly impact grain quality properties. These samples are provided to the rice breeding and grain quality team for analysis. This provides a distinct value-adding component to the project, saving the rice breeding and quality team significant time and costs by not having to conduct experiments to gain the required samples. Table 1. Variety experiments conducted in the 2015–16 season. Location Sowing method Sowing/first flush date Varieties Nitrogen treatments Mayrung Aerial 3 Nov Reiziq, Sherpa, Koshi & Opus 6 Murrami Aerial 29 Oct Langi, Topaz, Doongara & YRL127 6 Leeton Drill 2 Dec Reiziq, Sherpa, YRM70 & YRK5 6 Yenda Drill 27 Nov Reiziq, Sherpa, Jarrah & YRM70 6 Jerilderie Drill & DPW 1 Nov Reiziq, Sherpa, Koshihikari, Kyeema, Opus, Topaz 2 Yanco Drill & DPW 9 Oct Reiziq, Sherpa, Langi, Topaz, Doongara, YRL127 2 Table 2. Grain yield (t/ha@14% moisture) achieved for each variety when averaged across nitrogen rates (including a zero), in each experiment. Variety Mayrung Murrami Jerilderie Jerilderie Yanco Yanco Leeton Yanco (Aerial) (Aerial) (Drill) (DPW) (Drill) (DPW) (Drill) (Drill) Reiziq 11.36 10.86 10.28 14.58 14.15 10.87 11.50 Sherpa 12.56 12.50 12.21 14.61 11.41 10.87 11.72 Langi 11.99 12.60 12.55 Topaz 11.78 10.24 7.26 12.72 11.07 Opus 11.53 10.92 10.40 Koshihikari 8.73 10.60 10.01 Doongara 12.04 13.15 12.68 Kyeema 10.18 8.97 YRM70 10.83 12.26 YRL127 11.78 12.62 12.02 YRK5 9.49 Jarrah 11.75 l.s.d. (P