b'Hybrid Wheat: More than YieldA global effort is underway to lower the cost of hybrid wheat seed production.Joe FunkEACH YEAR,Australian wheatNew technologies are lowering theboost or about 2.5 bushels per acre, growers plant one of the worlds larg- cost of hybrid seed production. This mayadvantage from breeding. Economically, est wheat crops (China, India and Russiaopen that opportunity. Interest in hybridthat is not good enough. We would need plant the worlds most extensive wheatwheat would be mostly restricted toto get a hybrid yield advantage of 10% acreage). In terms of total production,Australias higher-yielding zones whereor more to overcome the added cost of Australia produces the 10th largest crophybrid seed could overcome some ofhybrid seed production. of wheat. Whether or not hybrid wheatthese environmental and economic bar- In high yield environments with more can boost Australian wheat yields andriers. Hybrid wheat seed will come at arainfall, wheat yields 45 to 60 bushels per raise its position among wheat-producingpremium, whether planted in a high oracre or more. Compare this to European countries will depend on several signifi- low yield environment.production where it is a different scenario. cant developments. Ryan Whitford, PhD,Hybrid wheat is more economical in the a plant molecular biologist at the hybridhigh-yield regions.wheat program at the Australian Centre of Plant Functional Genomics, explainedImproved Yield Stabilityto Seed World why hybrid wheat hasWe would need to get a hybridOne feather of hybrid wheat is that it been slow to be adopted in one of theprovides better yield stability in more worlds largest wheat-growing regions. yield advantage of 10% or more tochallenging environments with there I dont think my Australian perspec- overcome the added cost of hybridare widely varying growing conditions tive about hybrid wheat is different fromwithin a field. Nonetheless, the fields someone in the United States, he says.seed production.overall hybrid yield advantage has to Australias low-yield growing environ-Ryan Whitford be enough to make the premium seed ment is different than growing conditionscost economically feasible. Another in North America and Europe. That makesissue for Australian growers is that they the economics behind the commercializa- are assessed end-point royalties where tion of hybrid wheat a little more chal- breeder royalties are paid at the back end lenging for us. For that to happen, theIn our low yield environments whereof production when the crop is delivered economics have to shift a bit. This is notlow moisture limits production, the aver- to market. Farmers may be reticent to to say hybrid wheat will not come on inage yield is just below 30 bushels perpay for hybrid wheat upfront because the future. Currently, however, there is notacre (2 tons per hectare). In this scenario,there is no guarantee that they will get a much appetite for it.hybrid wheat gets about an 8% yieldyield advantage. 40/ SEEDWORLD.COMINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2021'