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Aston Milling Wheat

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• New premium quality milling wheat with improved autumn yield performance
• Superior falling numbers and pre-harvest sprout resistance
• Alternative type for sowing from early May to August
• Tall, stiff-strawed, awnless cultivar with good standing ability

Description

Aston (KMW2206) is a high yielding alternative wheat cultivar bred by PGG Wrightson Grain (PGW Grain) in New Zealand. It is a mid-season, tall awnless wheat with stiff straw and superior resistance to pre-harvest sprouting and higher falling numbers compared with Discovery. It produces smaller grain than Discovery.

Yield

Aston (KMW2206) produces a strong performance. In FAR CPT autumn trials, its performance is comparable to Discovery, and exceeds that of other premium wheats, aside from at Winchester. Aston (KMW2206) has a facultative habit and in FAR (CPT 1) spring trials 2022-23 its performance was comparable to Cochise and Discovery.

Aston data
Aston data

CPT Aston (KMW2206) grain quality (2023-24)

Canterbury (Autumn)

Canterbury (Spring)
Kernel weight (1000 seed weight) 43 41
Test weight (kg/hl) 77 79
Protein content (%) (N% x 5.7) 12.1 13.1
Screenings (%) 0.5 0.8
Falling number (sec) 392 386

Aston (KMW2206) is a very high yielding autumn milling wheat. Therefore, particular attention to nitrogen management is required to ensure protein milling specifications are met.

Time of drilling

Aston (KMW2206) is an alternative or spring wheat cultivar with a wide drilling window. Recommended drilling time is from early May through to August.

Speed of development

Month planted

Typical heading dates for Aston (KMW2206) in Canterbury
Late May Mid – Late November
Late June Late November
September Mid December

Aston (KMW2206) is an intermediate maturing cultivar at harvest.

Seed rate and tillering characteristics

Aston (KMW2206) has moderate tillering ability and target plant populations should be set at the mid-range of the autumn and spring wheat guidelines. A PGW Grain sowing date and rate trial is being conducted on this cultivar in the 2024/25 season.

Soil type, rotation and geography

Aston (KMW2206) has performed well across all Canterbury regions. It has more shedding resistance than Discovery so is more suitable for locations with extreme winds around maturity. It is not recommended as a second-year wheat.

Disease resistance

Aston (KMW2206) has a variable disease resistance profile, being mostly resistant to leaf rust, adult stripe rust and powdery mildew and is moderately susceptible to Septoria leaf blotch and seedling stripe rust. Considering this disease profile, fungicide programmes should be tailored to target Septoria and seedling stripe rust. A PGW Grain fungicide trial is being conducted on this cultivar for the 2024/25 season and should provide further information. Please contact your local PGW Representative for site specific recommendations.

Disease resistance results:

Disease

PGW Grain disease nursery ratings
(9 highly resistant, 1 highly susceptible)
Stripe rust 6
Leaf rust 8
Septoria leaf blotch 5
Powdery mildew 8
Fusarium head blight 6

Straw strength and height

Aston (KMW2206) is a tall cultivar with good standing power. An adequate plant growth regulator (PGR) programme is recommended for this cultivar especially for early sowings. In the PGW Grain 2023/24 PGR trial, greatest height reductions and minimised lodging risks were observed under the robust programmes (Cycocel + Moddus Evo combinations). The actual programme is determined by a combination of sowing date, seed rate, nitrogen use, crop thickness and yield potential. As with any cultivar, do not apply if the crop is under any form of stress. Please contact your local PGW Representative for site specific recommendations.
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