Australia
September 17, 2009
A new variety of milling oat is set to find favour and flavour with grain growers and consumers alike.
The ‘Yallara’ variety, developed by the South Australian Research and Development Institute with major funding from the Grains Research and Development Corporation, is being hailed not only for its improved, creamy taste but also for its ability to beat crop disease.
Yallara is resistant to leaf and stem rust diseases, which can cut oat yields by between 40 and 100% in seasons when these diseases are prevalent.
This fact, combined with the appealing creamy taste achieved by SARDI researchers, positions Yallara as an exciting new variety that has the potential to reap significant returns for growers.
Chair of GRDC’s Southern Regional Panel, David Shannon, said the launch of the Yallara variety was a prime example of what the Australian grains industry could achieve through targeted investment in research and development.
“With support from growers and the Australian Government, the GRDC is committed to advancing the nation’s grains industry and the wider community, and the launch of Yallara is very much representative of that commitment.”
The Yallara variety has ticked the boxes for flavour and appearance with sensory testing at Uncle Toby’s showing it fits the bill for producing a smooth and creamy porridge, with a nice mouth feel.
According to Uncle Toby’s, oats are the fastest-growing segment in the Australian breakfast food market, used in 60% of households and growing at 2%, or 75,000 households per year. Unlike wheat and rye, the processed grain retains high levels of beta glucan, a soluble fibre, which helps the body to reduce cholesterol reabsorption.
SARDI’s Dr Pamela Zwer said that 12 years ago after a global search, the SARDI oats breeding team sourced lines of oats offering stem and leaf rust resistance from North Dakota and backcrossed them with existing milling variety Euro to produce Yallara.
“It produces bright grain of high digestibility and is recommended as a replacement for Euro in those areas where stem and leaf rust limit yield,” Dr Zwer said.
John Pitcher of Uncle Toby’s said that as well as meeting the company’s strict standards for flavour and appearance to assure market success, Yallara offered high milling yields, substantially reducing milling costs for processers.
“Our farmers are our life blood and keeping diseases at bay helps Australian farmers to be successful, so we can be successful,” Mr Pitcher said.
In the last nine years, the SARDI oats-breeding program has released three milling varieties and five hay varieties, with commercial partners embracing them.
Topics
Species
