Australia’s first dual herbicide tolerant canola varieties are set to be released next year. A canola with both triazine tolerance (TT) and Roundup Ready (RR) traits will be available through Pacific Seeds. The combination of traits will be known as ‘RT’.
Farmers are excited about the new technology, saying it will provide a good suite of tools in terms of weed management. “It will be good to be able to have some flexibility in terms of chemical rotations, and it will help prevent herbicide resistance,” said Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) grains group president Brett Hosking.
“Obviously, the varieties will have to stand up in the field, but it is good to see this kind of research and development.” Pacific Seeds canola technical manager Justin Kudnig said his company had tried to get industry to have a look at the variety while it was in the trial phase.
“Over 500 agronomists and consultants representing over 80 per cent of advisers and resellers have visited the trials evaluating RT Technology,” he said.
Mr Kudnig said they were impressed with the visible efficacy of the technology. He said there were already good orders for next year for the variety. Pacific Seeds and Monsanto have developed the technology as part of an integrated weed management strategy.
Mr Kudnig said the combination of Roundup Ready herbicide and triazine herbicides traits will provide growers with the broad spectrum knockdown control of Roundup Ready, along with the residual activity of the triazine herbicides to control a wide range of weed species including annual ryegrass and wild radish.
Read full original article: Herbicide tolerant canola here in 2015
