A TV-style report by Jane Drinkwater about the Grains Research and Development Corporation's (GRDC) National Variety Trials (NVT) in Australia. The piece explains how NVT runs side-by-side variety trials across environments to give growers independent data (yield, disease resistance, phenology, rust management) to inform sowing decisions. The report cites scale and impact: ~100 varieties assessed, over 580 trials sown each year at more than 250 locations, productivity gains up to 20% and research returns cited at about 15×. It features interviews with growers (Darrell Bartland, Daniel Cooper, Josh Walter) describing how they use NVT online data, MUD maps and site visits to select varieties.
Questions this video answers
November 26, 2025
Around 100 varieties
More than 580 trials per year
Over 250 locations
Up to 20% possible
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One of the ways the grains industry strives to improve productivity is to identify how different plant varieties perform under different conditions and soil types. Jane Drinkwater reports on the great work being done to provide those answers.
Darrell Bartland's all too aware that in cropping there are some very big things that are simply beyond his control, like the weather and global market conditions. So making the right decisions on the things he can control is critical. One of those is his choice of plant varieties. With so many to choose from for each crop, how can he be sure which ones are best suited to his paddocks? For Darrell and a host of growers around the country, Grains Research and Development Corporation's National Variety Trials are the answer.
It gives us an opportunity to have that unbiased look at what that yield is actually how it's performing and, and I think it'll encourage the commercial breeders to start really selecting some good varieties because that's the display case and they've got to come up to scratch against the others.
The trials are Australian grain growers own system of objectively comparing new crop varieties grown side by side in plots across the country. They provide growers with a reliable independent assessment of around 100 crop varieties in a range of climatic conditions.
You see a large variation across the varieties, anything from their phenology, which is their flowering time, the length of maturity through to their disease resistance that they have. So it's a good opportunity to see all the different varieties stacked up next to each other and you can compare the varieties side by side.
With results between varieties varying significantly. It can be well worth your while to do your homework. Growers who host the trial sites get to see them up close, but with results free to view at the NVT website. The trials give all growers the information to make better variety choices. NVT online provides region specific trial data tabulating each variety's yield quality, disease resistance and rust management characteristics.
They can access the online database for a trial in their area, look at the data from last year's yield results for that trial. They can also go and look at the trial by accessing the MUD maps on the NVT site, contacting the trial manager and going to have a look at the trial themselves and making decision on what they see in the paddock.
With more than 580 trials sown each year at over 250 locations across Australia, it's no wonder so many growers and agronomists refer to the national variety trial results when making decisions on which varieties to plant each season.
A decision to grow a variety is.
Largely based on the results of these trials.
Well, we're always looking for something new and better to replace what we have.
Josh Walter is another trial participant who uses the results to decide which varieties he'll sow. By mid October, the trial plots on Josh's southern Victorian property are in full swing. Ten weeks later, it's harvest time and a chance to see how these varieties stack up. Josh knows firsthand the benefits of using data from the national variety trial results.
We turned the results from last year into our own crop, basically on farm. Here we're growing a variety that topped the trials and very happy with that. And prior to that, we used to seek information on the website and other places, other field days.
The trials provide an opportunity to test new possibilities.
This particular plot here is a durum wheat in the NVT trial this year. In the future, the options of growing a durum down here in our high rainfall zone could be very exciting.
The beauty of the NVT trials is that you can have material from Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, all located next to each other under the same geographic and environmental conditions. And growers can really see how they perform under those conditions.
The national variety trials are an example of grower levies and the federal government's contribution at work to benefit growers.
The NVT trials are a great investment by GRDC for growers as their stakeholders. They get to really get some important data out of these trials. And I think GRDC are doing a really good job with the MVT system.
Most of this research we've done showing a return of about 15 times on what we've spent is one thing. What private business is not spending 5% or more on research and development. And here we are, we've got 1% plus you might put in another percent for breeding. What we pay for the endpoint royalty. I believe it's money well spent. It really is.
With productivity gains of up to 20% possible through planting more suitable varieties, it's worthwhile rethinking what you're sowing. And for those growers wary of making a change, here's some advice from those who've been there.
Look at the information that is being provided by the NVT's. It's an unbiased source of information. It's accurate. And once they've maybe looked at those, talk to their local agronomists and see what they recommend as well.
Start talking to people that are actually up there, moving, changing, improving. And don't be afraid to ring people up. They want to talk. And researchers love someone to talk to about it. Extension providers. If you're not wishing to change quickly, well, just do a part of your paddock. It doesn't cost you a lot. And to get the information out of the NVT is free to all.
I'm joined now by Daniel Cooper, whose family owns this place. Daniel, thanks for having us.
No worries, Darrell.
Daniel, do you use national variety trial data?
We do use national variety trial data at the beginning of each year when we're doing our paddock planning for the the current year. We'll look at the previous year's NVT trial data and compare it with all the varieties and see what's on the improve, what's new and what we can bring into our cropping program.
So tell me about the variety in this paddock.
It's a long season prime hard in the south wheat, something that we were looking for to replace the sun vale that we'd grown previously. It was a new and improved variety. So it's got a bit of yellow leaf spot resistance, good rust resistance to both rust genes, and it sort of fitted the bill for what we're looking for.
Well, I hope the season does the right thing by you, Daniel. Thanks very much for having us.
