- New InterGrain barley variety to boost national industry value by $110 million per annum
- Cook Government supporting Western Australia's grains industry to remain internationally competitive
A new barley variety launched by Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis today is being touted as 'the one' to take Australian barley production to the next level.
The high-performance variety named Neo - the Greek word for new - is set to increase yields by 10 per cent, generating a potential $110 million per annum boost to the value of the national barley industry.
The variety, which was recently submitted for malting barley accreditation, is well suited to medium to high rainfall environments boasting strong pest and disease resistance and superior grain quality characteristics.
Neo was created by locally based breeding company InterGrain, co-owned by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.
The naturally bred variety is a product of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's Cereal Doubled Haploid Program, accelerating the development of breeding lines tailored to Australian conditions.
Neo is InterGrain's 12th barley variety to be released, complementing a suite of cereal offerings, including a range of Australian hard and noodle wheat lines, and oats.
InterGrain is expanding to a state-of-the-art plant breeding facility at the WA Government's biosecurity and research facility at Murdoch University, a new facility in Horsham, Victoria. It is also establishing a seed production site at Narrabri, NSW.
The company has a close alliance with the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC), co-owned by the WA Government and Grains Australia, to ensure new varieties satisfy market requirements.
For more information about Neo barley and how it can enhance WA grain production visit www.intergrain.com.
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis:
"Neo barley reflects its name - a modern variety, ahead of its time and bred using the latest plant breeding technology to generate a leap in production and malting performance.
"This new variety will support Australia's reputation as a global leader in supplying high quality barley to discerning domestic and export markets.
"Our Government is pleased to be partnering with InterGrain and AEGIC to back research and development that supports WA growers and the broader industry to remain internationally competitive now and into the future."
