SEEDNET is hopeful its promising Leabrook variety of barley will win a share of the market as it continues through the malt accreditation process.
Leabrook, bred by the University of Adelaide, co has performed well in agronomic trials and is currently midway through the Barley Australia malt accreditation process.
Seednet national manager Simon Crane said he saw Leabrook fitting into growers' rotations as a possible replacement for the Compass variety marketed by his company.
"We see it as an improvement on Compass, with slightly better grain size, along with a small overall improvement in yield," Mr Crane said.
"It hasn't outyielded Compass in all the trials but as a general rule it is performing just that little better in terms of yield."
Mr Crane said the most pronounced yield gains over Compass were in low to medium rainfall zones.
"The yield advantage has been higher in the north where there have been a couple of tough finishes so it certainly looks like it can hang on well when things get a bit tight."
Mr Crane said the variety had made it through the first round of the malt accreditation process and was currently undergoing stage 2.
He said southern growers were very interested in the variety from a malt perspective but said in areas north of Dubbo, where the cultivar has also showed promise, it was more about yield.
"In the north it is more difficult to make malt specifications so they are more interested in overall yield," he said.
"This year, if it continues to be cool and wet, may be an exception to that and the bulk handlers may look to get a separate segregation in place.
"If we do see a dedicated Leabrook segregation it is more likely in the north."