Wheat growers of the Pacific Northwest have been hearing about the CoAXium Wheat Production System at industry meetings and field days for the past four years. Aggressor herbicide’s effectiveness at controlling grassy weeds was clearly demonstrated and excitement for CoAXium was high, but varieties were limited. Only hard red winter wheat lines in a predominately soft white winter wheat market left growers asking, “When will the soft whites be ready?”
The answer? NOW. Limagrain Cereal Seeds (LCS) is pleased to announce the launch of five CoAXium soft white winter wheats and one new hard red winter wheat, all with PNW-adapted pedigrees. Starting this growing season, farmers will have more options than ever to defend their fields against grassy weeds.
Meet the new CoAXium wheat arsenal
LCS Dagger AX is a widely adapted weapon against weeds. This variety is early maturing and well suited for southeast Washington, north central Idaho and much of north central Oregon. LCS Dagger AX offers good straw strength, medium height and heavy test weight, and carries the allele for soil-borne wheat mosaic virus. Though stripe rust is something to monitor with this variety, LCS Dagger AX will perform well on its own or as a blend with LCS Sol AX and LCS Mani AX.
LCS Sol AX is a very early maturing variety best fit for more southern growing conditions, such as Oregon and the Walla Walla valley. LCS Sol AX carries the allele for soil-borne wheat mosaic virus but offers limited tolerance to stripe rust. However, the variety’s heavy test weight and very good end-use quality make it an attractive option for growers.
LCS Mani AX is another very early maturing variety with excellent test weight. Just like the sun and the moon, LCS Sol AX and LCS Mani AX are similar varieties with a few key differences that complement each other well in a variety blend. LCS Mani AX’s straw strength will be challenged in high production zones. However, this line has the best stripe rust tolerance of all the CoAXium varieties.
LCS Kraken AX is another line with the potential to be broadly adapted. Northern Idaho and across eastern Washington are an ideal fit for this medium-early maturing variety. LCS Kraken AX has shown very good winter-hardiness and promising tolerance to snow mold, making it a good candidate for growers along Highway 2 as well. Although you will have to monitor stripe rust, LCS Kraken AX offers very good end-use quality.
LCS Hydra AX is the latest maturing CoAXium variety on the market, similar to LCS Hulk. For this reason, the variety is ideal for more northern adaptations. Don’t let the later maturity deter you from growing LCS Hydra AX in low rainfall conditions, though — it was a top performer in LCS yield trials across two years. LCS Hydra AX also has low protein and good stripe rust tolerance.
By releasing five soft white winter wheat varieties, LCS is able to offer a portfolio of agronomically unique options. In many cases, varieties will be available as a CoAXium blend to increase varietal synergy in your field.
LCS Eclipse AX is the first hard red winter wheat variety to be bred specifically for the PNW, meaning it has improved yield potential, straw strength and stripe rust tolerance compared to previous hard red winter CoAXium varieties. LCS Eclipse AX has shown consistently high yield potential in both the ideal growing conditions of 2020 and the challenging drought conditions of 2021.
