FARMERS are being warned that while there are frustrations with the falling numbers test used to simulate wheat's viability for use in baking there will be no alternative in the immediate future.
The falling numbers test is used when there is visual sprouting in the grain to mimic how flour made from the grain would behave in baking.
This season grain quality is again going to be an issue due to the wet conditions in the lead up to harvest and it is expected that falling numbers testing will be required at sites right across the country.
Grain Producers Australia research and development spokesperson Andrew Weidemann said the test had a bad reputation among growers, who felt it often unfairly pushed them into lower price classifications, but said in reality the opposite applied.
"Without the falling numbers we would see all visually sprouted wheat heading into the feed bin," Mr Weidemann said.
"It's very frustrating for growers as the results can vary massively from sample to sample, but at present it is the best we have got to work with," he said.
Fellow grain grower group GrainGrowers has put out a fact sheet about the test and said that there were limitations in how the test performed in sample stand conditions.
"The test was designed for laboratory conditions and when working in the field there can be a difference of up to 30 seconds, using the same instrument with the same operator," the group said in its fact sheet.
"This difference can be even greater when an operator is using a different instrument."
Mr Weidemann said, however, that as an internationally recognised test it had merit in allowing Australian wheat a path to market as a milling product.
"It is frustrating in many ways from the results to the time taken to do the test but at present it is the best we've got to measure baking quality of sprouted grain."
Grain technical specialist Gerard McMullen, McMullen Consulting, who works with Grain Trade Australia on grain quality issues, said the falling numbers test, in spite of its flaws, was likely to be the major test of sprouted wheat for some time to come.
"It is something people have been looking at for a number of years and the fact the brightest minds in the world have not come up with anything to replace it as yet suggests it is not that easy," Mr McMullen said.
He warned this year in particulart would likely see wildly varying results.
"You see a lot of variation even within a paddock most years and that is likely to be more pronounced this year with wet patches in the crop behaving differently."
Mr Weidemann said there were some technologies being trialled, such as the Platypus system developed by Indyn that uses spectral imaging and artificial intelligence to grade grain.
Other tests that have been trialled include the stirring numbers test, which has some similarities to the falling number test and the Wheat Rite test, which has the advantage of being able to be done simply in the field but has generally been less accurate.
However, Mr Weidemann said a silver lining of this year's quality issues would be the chance to test out new technologies.
"It is not going to an official thing as internationally the falling numbers is what is recognised but if the developers of these new technologies can build evidence to show their tests work then that will pave the way for change in the future."
Mr McMullen agreed.
"It's the perfect year for those who believe they have a viable alternative to put together some data to push their case forward."
GrainGrowers identified several flaws with the falling numbers test in its fact sheet, such as the potential for cross-contamination in a bulk handling setting, the need for adjustment according to moisture levels which is often not done and the need for distilled water at 20 degrees, which is not always practical in the field.
Mr Weidemann also said he would like to see more work with stored grain.
"There is potentially a link between grain stored for some time post harvest and improved falling numbers results, there is no categorical data as yet but it is something we should be looking at to see if the link can be proven."
GrainGrowers said that for growers with low falling numbers grain they could either store it with the potential for the falling numbers to improve or look to blend it on-farm with better quality grain to get a parcel of wheat of a higher classification.
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
