Australia
March 14, 2024
Following evaluation by the Malting and Brewing Industry Barley Technical Committee (MBIBTC), under the Grains Australia malting barley accreditation program, Minotaur has been accredited as a Malting Barley.
AGT commenced a barley breeding programme in 2014, releasing five varieties so far. Minotaur is the first AGT barley variety to gain malting accreditation, with the varieties Beast, Yeti, Cyclops and Titan AX currently under malt barley evaluation.
AGT barley breeders Stewart Coventry and Paul Telfer
About Minotaur:
Minotaur enters the market as a clear step-up from the landmark European variety RGT Planet. While RGT Planet is a direct introduction from Europe, Minotaur is the result of an Australian by European cross, bringing together European yield potential with Australian adaptation to our tough growing conditions. Minotaur has demonstrated adaptation across a broader range of seasonal conditions and regions than RGT Planet, which can be penalized under drier, stressed conditions.
In addition to competitive yields, Minotaur offers some improvements in physical grain quality, delivering higher test weight compared with RGT Planet. The yield stability combined with improved test weight means that Minotaur is a safer variety to use than RGT Planet for growers looking to mitigate the risk of highly variable seasons.
Minotaur has a mid-slow maturity, reaching awn peep a couple of days later than RGT Planet and is ideally suited to medium-high yield potential environments. Minotaur has a relatively compact plant type with moderate resistance to lodging.
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