Our Varieties
Bitalli
Durum
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One of the highest yielding durum varieties currently available
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Best suited to low-medium rainfall environments
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ADR quality classification
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Very good physical grain characteristics with low screenings and high test weight
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Quick-mid maturity providing good adaptation in tough finishes to the growing season
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Small improvement in crown rot resistance over most other varieties
For full details download the Bitalli fact sheet
Seed Availability
Commercial quantities of Bitalli may be available through AGT Affiliates, or your local retailer.
Bitalli is able to be traded between growers upon the completion of a License Agreement as part of AGT’s Seed Sharing™ initiative.
PBR and EPR
Bitalli is protected by Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) and all production (except seed saved for planting) is liable to an End Point Royalty (EPR), which funds future plant breeding.
Bitalli growers will be subject to a Growers License Agreement that acknowledges that an EPR of $3.5/tonne + GST has to be paid on all production other than seed saved for planting.
Breeders comments
Bitalli (tested as AGTD088) was our first durum variety release for southern durum growing areas in over ten years, and has now established itself as one of the most reliable and highest yielding varieties currently available.
Bitalli represents our breeding aim of producing a ‘low risk’ durum variety, combining adaptation to a range of environments and growing conditions, excellent grain quality with low screenings risk and high test weights, and suitable levels of straw strength. Most importantly however, Bitalli has achieved our goal of developing a durum variety that produces consistent, high yields across all southern Australian durum growing environments.
Bitalli is derived from a Saintly cross, maturing 1-2 days later than Saintly, and a few days earlier than DBA Aurora. Unlike Saintly, Bitalli is a fully awned variety.
The disease profile of Bitalli is comparable with most durum varieties currently on the market, with good resistance to most foliar diseases. Bitalli offers a slight improvement in crown rot resistance over commonly grown varieties such as DBA Aurora and DBA Artemis. As crown rot is a major constraint on durum production, even a small improvement in this trait is likely to provide some benefit to growers.
Bitalli has an ADR quality classification in the Southern Zone (SA/Vic) and produces grain with low screenings similar to DBA Aurora and Saintly, and substantially better than Hyperno.
The naming convention we use for our durum varieties is Melbourne Cup winners, with ‘Bitalli’ taking the cup in 1923.