Cobra variety winning new fans

LongReach Cobra, a high yielding, short to medium wheat variety developed for WA, is creating plenty of excitement for the team at Kojonup Ag Supplies.

Owner Ned Capper and grain grower/adviser Peter Hill are one of a handful of growers who are bulking up seed for suppliers Kojonup Agricultural Supplies, Pacific Seeds and Coorow Seeds.

According to Peter, it's got a lot to offer producers who want to grow wheat on wheat and is showing promise for yellow spot resistance.

"Being a short season variety, and planting wheat on wheat, it means growers can wait for that weed kill and not harm yield potential," he said.

With an increase in growers opting to grow wheat on wheat and swinging away from canola, Peter says this new variety is a real option for growers.

"Agronomically, it's been like oats to grow. It's very vigorous to start with a thick broad leaf and it's been very easy to grow."

For Ned's clients, growing wheat on wheat solves the problem of volunteer contamination from other cereals.

"If you have the ability to put the same grain on the same grain, it makes management much easier," Ned said.

But one of the key highlights Ned believes is Cobra's growing versatility.

"It requires little vernalisation to trigger its reproductive growth cycle, hence a quicker maturity for Southern WA," Ned said.

"In the case of last year where we had very little spring rain Cobra would have finished retaining grain quality including small percentage of screenings.

"However this year it is quite happy to continue filling the head whilst there is moisture available."

Described by Pacific Seeds as a medium to long season variety, indications are in southern areas of the state, it's a good short-term performer.

"Potentially, this crop looks like going over four tonne and sometimes with short season varieties you compromise yield but this is one of the exciting things about this crop," Ned said.

LongReach Cobra has been classified AH and is suited to acid soils and has good yield performance in low pH soils.