Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) has released Titan AX barley! It’s the first barley variety in the world that offers tolerance to Aggressor (a Group 1, Quizalofop-P-Ethyl herbicide). This means you’ll get in-crop control of susceptible populations of barley grass, brome grass, annual ryegrass, wild oats and other grass weeds in your barley phase of the rotation.

Last May, AGT announced a partnership with Albaugh LLC and Sipcam Australia to launch the CoAXium® Barley Production System.  

What’s great about it? 

Not only does Titan AX offer growers a new tool for controlling tough annual grass weeds, but as an alternative to Clearfield varieties, it provides more crop rotation freedom due to lack of soil residue. Plus, if you use Aggressor according to the label, it won’t result in residues in barley grain, and no market access issues have been identified.

How does it stack up?

Titan AX is derived from the widely adapted and popular variety Compass, but has slightly higher yields and later maturity, with most other characteristics very similar to Compass. 

Its plant type particularly lends itself to low-medium rainfall or Mallee-style environments where early vigour and longer straw are preferred and lodging is less of an issue. 

It will have a medium coleoptile length and moderately tall plant height, which is MSS to lodging. 

Early disease ratings are similar to its main parent, Compass, with a slightly better powdery mildew resistance. It will be SVS-VS for leaf rust, MS for SFNB and MRMS for NFNB. 

Where will it fit?

AGT data suggests that Titan AX performs consistently well across a range of growing conditions and therefore should be a suitable option for most growers that see a fit for tolerance to Aggressor herbicide. 

Titan AX has demonstrated high and stable yields across a range of environment types, offering a consistent yield improvement over Compass and Clearfield tolerant varieties such as Spartacus CL and Maximus CL in AGT long-term testing.  

Yields?

Due to limited seed, Titan AXP was only tested in upper Eyre Peninsula and Murray Mallee NVTs in 2021 (low-medium rainfall environments where Compass plant types are favoured). But across these eight sites, Titan AX performed exceptionally well, out-yielding Compass by 7% and beating all other herbicide tolerant barley varieties, including Commodus CL, Spartacus CL and Maximus CL (Figure 1). 

Titan AX has been included in all NVT barley trials in 2022, so keep an eye out for it in trials. 

Figure 1. Grain Yield of Titan AX in Low-Medium Rainfall SA NVT Sites 2021 

Source – AGT Variety Fact Sheet – Titan AX, 2022 

Classification?

Titan AX will be initially released as a Barley/Feed grade variety, however, AGT expects to nominate Titan AX as a malt quality candidate with Barley Australia in 2023. 

If this new variety interests you, get in touch with Sam or Matt, and we can get an order in for you for next year. 

Note that all Titan AX growers will be required to complete an easy, online stewardship registration: www.coaxium.com.au/stewardship