ProductsSorghum

A focused breeding program, combined with the most stringent and widespread field testing system, has produced Australia's premier range of grain sorghum hybrids. Grain sorghum is Australia's most important summer crop and Pacific Seeds has the responsibility to provide the best hybrids so that sorghum production remains profitable and competitive.

Pacific Seeds' grain sorghum varieties are well suited to Australian sorghum growing regions due to the tough growing conditions they originate from. They give excellent yields, have good standability and are reliable performers.

Our hybrid seeds cover a wide range of maturities, from the quickest

Pacific MR32 to the full season MR-Maxi, and suit temperate, sub-tropical and tropical farming systems.

An important tool in quality sorghum production is the control of midge. Midge larvae attack the sorghum floret during flowering and eat the developing grain. In the early 1990s the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (QDPI) developed, in conjunction with Pacific Seeds and other seed companies, an industry protocol for the testing and official rating of midge resistance in Midge Resistant (MR) hybrids.

The midge rating system starts at 1 (nil resistance) through to 8 (maximum commercially available resistance) and measures the amount of grain lost, per visiting female midge per day. The midge rating is independently assessed and administered by the QDPI and is published by seed organisations.

The midge rating number when used in conjunction with the QDPI developed equation for the assessment of Economic Injury Level (EIL) gives the grower a very powerful management tool for these hybrids. This equation and a comprehensive explanation are found in the QDPI summer crop notes.

Only hybrids that have been through the official rating system can have the official Midge Tested Rating logo and tag.

This symbol identifies the level of midge resistance in sorghum varieties.