UNE has just signed an exclusive agreement with ABB Seeds for the marketing of the new variety, named "Bogong".

General manager of ABB Seeds, Garry Goucher, said it was exciting to be launching the new high-yield, early-season-maturing variety of triticale.

"'Bogong' is broadly adapted to suit many of the prime dairy and livestock areas around the country, including the coastal regions of NSW, the south-west slopes and NSW, and Victoria and South Australia," Mr Goucher said.

Triticale is a hybrid cross between wheat and rye.

The "Bogong" variety has grown very well at Warialda, Narrabri and Grafton in NSW.

Associate Professor Robin Jessop, the agronomist who leads UNE's triticale research team, said that the new spring-grain type was the latest in a series of triticale varieties developed at UNE over the past 25 years.

"Our data show that 'Bogong' delivered a very high yield in South Australia, Victoria and NSW last year," Dr Jessop said.

"It's now being built up for seed, and will be commercially available in February 2009."

"Bogong" is a widely-adapted spring variety that performs best in medium-to-high rainfall or late-maturing environments. With its very good resistance to all current field strains of rust – including the latest, the "WA" pathotype of stripe rust – it is designed to replace varieties such as "Kosciuszko".

It has a frost tolerance equivalent to – or better than – "Kosciuszko" or "Everest".

Dr Jessop said that "Bogong" was one of a pair of new varieties of triticale developed at UNE.

He said that the second variety – as yet unnamed – was designed to have a particularly high tolerance of acid soil, and that it too should be commercially available through ABB Seeds next February.