New rice variety maximising grower returns

Rice growers have dubbed the new rice variety called Viand a major win for the industry and an exciting gain in the Research and Development (R&D) space.

The new variety was launched at the Rice Industry Field Day in March 2018 thanks to a partnership with AgriFutures Australia, NSW Department of Primary Industries and SunRice.

Viand combines water-saving attributes with the ability to fit high-value markets. It’s a shorter season variety which offers flexibility to farming systems and gives growers options to manage risk and extend the rice sowing window.

Successful trials of Viand resulted in growers extending their rice sowing window in order to use late irrigation water allocations. Growers can double crop by planting Viand into the stubble after their winter crop harvest, improving their return per hectare.

Rice growers have successfully trialled Viand over the last two years and have found it has a good fit in irrigated farming systems.

Chris and Sue Hardy of Coleambally, NSW have grown five crops in two and a half years, alternating Viand with winter cereals, on an irrigation layout of beds in bays. At Willbriggie, NSW Jim and Anthony Salvestro planted 50 ha of Viand in mid-November after harvesting a canola crop. After harvesting the Viand in April, a wheat crop was sown to make use of the available moisture left in the soil profile.

Aimed at maximising grower returns, Viand meets the requirements of high value domestic and export markets and should prove popular with growers and consumers.

AgriFutures Australia General Manager, Research and Innovation, Michael Beer, said the new variety addresses the key industry challenge of growing more rice with less water.

“Rice growers can look forward to the benefits of Viand, backed with a sound agronomic package including greater tolerance to cold damage. The new rice variety allows for high yields across a shorter growing season,” said Mr Beer.

“The launch of Viand highlights how partnerships and collaborations are successfully addressing industry priorities and improving the profitability and sustainability of the Australian rice industry.”

Learn more about how growers are utilising Viand to increase returns per hectare by double cropping and making use of late water allocations via the Rice Extension website.

Keep up to date with rice industry activities via Facebook and Twitter @RiceExtension.

Fast facts

• From paddock to plate, Australian grown rice uses 50% less water than the global average
• With capacity to produce more than 1 million tonnes of rice per year, Australian rice growers play an important role in food security as rice sustains two-thirds of the world’s population
• Australia produces enough rice to feed 20 million people 365 days a year

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