Growers in central and southern Queensland have identified that the ability to plant wheat into stored sub-soil moisture in the same way they currently plant chickpea at depth, would increase the frequency, timeliness of planting and the successful emergence of wheat in this environment.

Incorporating wheat varieties with long coleoptile traits with the ability to plant on deep stored soil moisture (>10 cm) would be a game changing technology for growers across Queensland. The coleoptile is the protective sheath enclosing the emerging shoot and first leaves, and the longer it is, the greater the emergence potential when deep sowing. Wheats with this trait can be sown at depths of more than 10 centimetres.

Commercial wheat breeding companies are now incorporating long coleoptile traits into their breeding programs. With increasing breeding lines available this investment is focussed on evaluating this material in on-farm trials and providing growers with foundational data and knowledge on the risks and benefits associated with using long coleoptile wheat. Specifically, the trials will focus on better understanding the long coleoptile trait impact on time to emergence, soil temperature, planting depth and their impact on crop establishment in the targeted environments. This information will assist grower adoption upon release of long coleoptile wheats, leading to faster realisation of their agronomic and farming system benefit.