Limagrain Cereal Seeds (LCS) releases CoAXium® soft white winter wheat varieties in 2022

The first-ever CoAXium^® soft white winter wheat varieties are coming to the Pacific Northwest. Limagrain Cereal Seeds (LCS) will have Certified seed available at the grower level in 2022.

“LCS is bringing CoAXium soft white winter wheat varieties to market rapidly using doubled haploid and other speed breeding technologies. The typical best-case timeline from cross to release is seven to 10 years. We were able to get there in six,” explains Jay Kalous, LCS Pacific Northwest wheat breeder. “We’re thrilled to be expanding CoAXium capabilities into the SWWW market class.”

The new LCS soft white winter AX lines are part of the CoAXium Wheat Production System, created to provide powerful and cost-effective weed control to wheat farmers. Elite varieties are combined with AXigen®, a patented non-GMO herbicide tolerance trait, and used with Aggressor® brand herbicides. This combination helps protect fields from annual and perennial grassy weeds that shrink yield through inter-crop competition and reduce overall crop quality.

The LCS wheat portfolio already includes CoAXium hard red winter varieties adapted for the Pacific Northwest: LCS Helix AX, LCS Photon AX and LCS Fusion AX. All three have demonstrated the effectiveness of the new wheat production system in the PNW. However, in a production region of mainly soft white winter wheat, growers have been eager for the next generation of CoAXium varieties.

“The response we’ve heard is that for tough and even ‘unfarmable’ acres historically choked out by grassy weeds, there isn’t a better solution on the market,” says Zach Gaines, LCS national sales and marketing manager. “Soft white winter wheat growers have been asking for CoAXium for years, and we expect seed supply to move quickly.”

LCS CoAXium soft white winter varieties will be available for a variety of Pacific Northwest growing conditions and are currently undergoing rigorous testing for adaptation, as well as trait tolerance, seedling vigor, disease resistance and yield. The new LCS CoAXium variety names and trial data will be released this fall, but SWWW farmers should start planning for the 2022 growing season early.

“If you’ve been battling weeds with the Clearfield system, now is the time to start preparing your fields for this new herbicide-tolerant production system,” advises Dr. Mike Flowers, LCS product development manager. “CoAXium wheat varieties carry no tolerance to Beyond herbicide, so be mindful of soil residual and plan now so your acres will be ready for CoAXium SWWW seed in 2022.”