Koedoes: A flagship irrigation wheat cultivar for the ARC-SGI

March 2015

KIM COETZEE (Stellenbosch), WIMPIE DU TOIT (Vaalharts) and ANDRÉ MALAN (Bethlehem), ARC-Small Grain Institute

As majestic as a Kudu bull in the wilderness – this is Koedoes, the new cultivar in the ARC-Small Grain Institute’s (ARC-SGI) trials and it will be cultivated on a commercial scale.

This cultivar has already been approved by the industry and currently the ARC-SGI is in the process of obtaining plant breeders’ rights to be able to commercialise the cultivar. A suitable marketer will be appointed after a tender process at the end of 2015 and the cultivar will then be commercially available for the irrigation areas in 2017.

The cultivar is a high yielding cultivar and we at the ARC-SGI are confident that it will become one of the leading cultivars in the irrigation areas. During the 2013 season, Koedoes compared very well with the cultivar Krokodil with yields of up to 10,6 tons/ha. Koedoes’ yield potential is also higher than both Sabie and Duzi.

In the cooler irrigation areas, Koedoes had an average yield of 9 tons/ha and in the warmer irrigation area 9,4 tons/ha. The major difference of Koedoes from the current cultivars in the irrigation cultivar package of the ARC-SGI, is its short growing season (ten days earlier), making it more desirable for producers with a specific crop rotation system and water availability in the different irrigation schemes.

The falling number can however be affected if the cultivar is still irrigated after maturity, but still safe above 250 min for downgrading. The cultivar also has a good hectolitre mass, with an average of 79 kg/hl.

The cultivar has a normal straw length and like all the cultivars in the irrigation cultivar packages of the ARC-SGI, it has good baking quality. Often cultivars with a short growing season struggle to compete with yield against medium growth period cultivars, but the cultivar has the potential to compete with these cultivars and can even exceed the current cultivars with yield, if the correct management is applied. Koedoes is therefore a good replacement for the old short growth period cultivar, Steenbras; this will enable producers to realise high yields in a shorter growth cycle.

We are looking forward to the commercialisation of Koedoes and are positive that this short growing season cultivar will be a force to be reckoned with.

Research has been made possible by the financial support of the Winter Cereal Trust.

Publication: March 2015

Section: Focus on