ONE of the perennial problems faced by Australian grain growers is lodging in heavy crops in the months before harvest.

Lodging, either through root or stem collapse, affects both grain quality and yield.

In a bid to prevent lodging, crop technology company Syngenta has been carrying out field trials using a plant growth regulator.

The results show that lodging can be managed by applying the growth regulator during the growing season.

Trials in wheat, barley and oats have shown the benefits of retarding the rate of plant growth to ensure the roots and stem are thick enough to provide adequate support.

Syngenta Cereals marketing manager Jock Leys said growers could expect higher yields, less grain loss and faster harvest speed.

They could also expect less likelihood of downgraded or weather-damaged grain and no need for pick-up fingers on harvesters.

"Everything we can do to improve all or any of those factors makes life easier for grain growers," Jock said.

Other advantages from improving root systems include greater water-use efficiency and greater nutrient extraction.

Jock said field trials on barley at York, in Western Australia, last year had shown a marked increase in stem thickness and strength as measured by cross sections taken of the stem between the first and second nodes.

Results from Australian trials were also consistent with those overseas.

Syngenta is pursuing registration for its anti-lodging treatment.

If successful, the first registrations can be expected to be available this year, followed by other crop enhancement registrations next year and 2014.