‘Trials for miles’ could be the catch cry of the Pioneer Seeds grain sorghum trialling program in the 2024/25 season. With over 115 commercial scale side-by-side trial strip sites located from the Liverpool Plains up to Central Queensland, grain sorghum growers are getting a first-hand look at hundreds of hectares of key hybrids in the Pioneer A Series grain sorghum range.
(L-R) Ben Vercoe, Sam Gall and Ivan Calvert - Pioneer Seeds
According to Sam Gall, Pioneer Seeds Territory Sales Manager for Northern NSW and the Liverpool Plains, this greatly expands the opportunity for growers to make their own assessments of performance against other hybrids that they might normally grow.
Sam said that grain sorghum growers often switch hybrids or sow more than one hybrid for a range of reasons – including to take advantage of seasonal opportunities, to spread risk at critical times such as flowering, or to compare how new genetics perform against known varieties that they have grown before.
“Pioneer Seeds is committed to supporting growers with their decision-making regarding hybrid selection, and a side-by-side trialling program of this scale positions many farmers, their neighbours, agronomists and consultants with the opportunity to see for themselves how hybrids stack up against each other” he said.
Last season’s strip trialling was particularly focused on the newest hybrids in the A Series range; A88, A50, and A90. “With the early results coming through, these hybrids have all demonstrated high win percentages against current leading hybrids. Growers who are seeing the comparative results in the bin so far are telling us they have greater confidence in their decision-making regarding A Series hybrids as they start planning for the summer crop season later this year,” Sam said.
The team at Pioneer Seeds said they appreciate the support of the many growers who participated in the strip trials. “The benefit of this support is immense. Without growers, the opportunity to test hybrids throughout key growing environments is lost, and that would be to the detriment of the industry overall” said Sam.
Sam also noted “Importantly, the data obtained in the side-by-side trials will support the results from Pioneer Seeds STRIKE trials, GRDC NVT and other industry trials, giving an even greater picture of hybrid performance potential”.
For more information about Pioneer Seeds grain sorghum hybrids, growers can contact their preferred reseller or local Pioneer Seeds representative.