Scotch satisfaction as soft wheat program honoured on world biscuit day

Developers of a new variety of soft wheat say today, World Biscuit Day, is a suitable time to reflect on the successes of Australia's soft wheat breeding sector in recent years. While renowned for our hard wheat, Australia has long had a strong soft biscuit wheat industry, with a lineage through widely grown varieties such as Rosella. Plantings slipped in recent years, but there is renewed interest from the production sector following a number of promising new varieties. Most recently, baked goods giant Arnotts, together with miller Allied Pinnacle and plant breeder Longreach have collaborated on their soft wheat breeding program, with their new variety Scotch named in homage of the iconic Australian afternoon tea snack, the Scotch finger biscuit. According to Longreach, trial data shows a yield boost of 10 per cent over industry standard cultivars, with a strong disease resistance package, particularly against diseases such as stripe rust and powdery mildew. The variety is ...