The spring cereal recommended lists for 2017 contain two new varieties. These are RGT Planet spring barley and Keely spring oats. Both are provisionally recommended. The new lists were published by the Department of Agriculture in early January and contain fewer total varieties than previous years. These lists are an important reference guide for growers in terms of variety choice and crop management.
Three varieties were dropped from the spring barley list which now has six entries. The ones that were discontinued are Frontier, Soldo and SY Taberna. The spring wheat list is the same as last year and there is one additional variety on the spring oats list – Keely.
There is also change in the malting barley list where SY Taberna has been dropped and three new varieties are included. The recommended varieties are KWS Irina, Laureate, Olympus, Overture, Propino and RGT Planet, with Laureate, Olympus and Planet being new.
While yield potential is important, growers are strongly advised to consider all of a variety’s characteristics. Standing power and brackling or disease resistance all have direct husbandry and cost implications. Maturity differences might also be used to good effect.
Spring barley
Relative variety ratings for the different agronomic characteristics are shown in Table 1. KWS Irina continues to have the highest yield rating of the fully recommended varieties but the general gap is smaller.
Details of the varieties deemed best for malting are shown in Table 2. Some of these are on the recommended list while others are specifically recommended for malting.
Variety specifics
KWS IRINA: Has very high yield potential. Straw is moderately short and has good resistance to lodging and breakdown. Average maturity. Has very good resistance to mildew and net blotch, with moderate resistance to rhyncho and brown rust. Seed size is average to small with highish screenings and low specific weight. A Conchita x Quench cross from KWS Lochow in Germany. Agent: SeedTech.
MICKLE: High yield potential. It has short straw combined with good resistance to lodging and straw breakdown. The latter value has been increased. Early maturing but it is moderately susceptible to mildew, brown rust and net blotch, with good resistance to rhyncho. It has average to small grain size and screenings and good specific weight. A Propino x Snakebite cross from Syngenta Seeds in Britain. Agent: SeedTech.
PAUSTIAN: Now fully recommended. Good yield potential (up two points). Moderately tall straw with moderate resistance to lodging and straw breakdown. Later maturing. Has very good resistance to mildew coupled with good resistance to rhyncho and brown rust and moderate resistance to net blotch. Average grain size and specific weight with highish screenings. It is a Zeppelin x Propino cross from Sejet in Denmark. Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.
PROPINO: Average yield. It has quite tall straw and is described as moderately weak with moderate susceptibility to straw breakdown. Average maturity with moderate resistance to mildew and rhyncho and is moderately susceptible to brown rust and net blotch. It has good grain size, low screenings and average specific weight. Progeny of a cross between Quench x NFC Tipple from Syngenta Seeds in Britain. Agent: SeedTech.
SANETTE: High yield potential (up one point) with moderately short straw, moderate resistance to lodging (down a point) but is moderately susceptible to straw breakdown. Later maturing. It has very good resistance to mildew, good resistance to rhyncho and net blotch but is moderately susceptible to brown rust. Seed size is small with highish screenings and lowish specific weight. From a Sumit x Yard cross from Syngenta Seeds. Agent: SeedTech.
RGT PLANET: Very high yield potential with moderately tall straw but it is moderately susceptible to lodging and straw breakdown. It is later maturing. It has very good resistance to mildew, good resistance to rhyncho and moderate resistance to brown rust, but it is moderately susceptible to net blotch. Seed size is average with highish screenings and good specific weight. From a Tamtam x Concerto cross from RAGT UK. Agent: Goldcrop.
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The malting barley varieties are shown in Table 2. These have a somewhat different yield rating compared to Table 1 because different varieties are being compared. There are six varieties recommended this year, with SY Taberna dropped and Laureate, Olympus and RGT Planet added.
Details of the six recommended varieties are shown in Table 2 and most of these have already been described as feeding barleys.
LAUREATE: This is a British variety and it is the highest yielding non-GN variety in the malting trial. It has moderately short straw which is still susceptible to lodging and straw breakdown. However, it has very good resistance to mildew and net blotch, with good resistance to rhyncho and brown rust. It has average seed size and specific weight. It is a cross between Sanette x Concerto from Syngenta Seeds and it is handled here by SeedTech Ltd.
OLYMPUS: This is a British bred non-GN variety with average straw which is moderately susceptibile to lodging but very susceptible to straw breakdown. It has very good resistance to mildew and good resistance to net blotch, rhyncho and brown rust. Grain size is very small; it tends to have higher screenings and hectolitre weight is about average. It was bred by Limagrain from a Genie x LAN 0848) cross and is handled here by agent Seed Tech Ltd.
The 2017 spring wheat list is broadly similar to 2016, with the same three varieties recommended – Quintus, RGT Doubleshot and Sparrow. While all three varieties are regarded as having good milling and baking quality, this information is no longer included on the recommended list.
Spring wheat remains a difficult crop to plan for because interest and area are heavily influenced by planting progress in the autumn. Even this spring, much of the early planting was to winter wheat varieties.
Variety details and characteristic ratings are shown in Table 3.
Variety details
QUINTUS: It has very high yield potential (up one point). It is from unnamed parents and bred at Wiersum in the Netherlands. It is moderately tall with moderately weak straw. This is an awned wheat. Early maturing. It has very good resistance to yellow rust, good resistance to mildew (down one point) and is moderately resistant to septoria. It has quite big seed size and good specific weight. Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.
RGT DOUBLESHOT: A high-yielding French variety from a Josselin x Pasteur cross at RAGT. It has moderately short and moderately weak straw. Average on maturity. It is moderately susceptible to mildew and yellow rust (down two points) and moderately resistant to septoria. It has very small seed size but very good specific weight. Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.
SPARROW: A high-yield potential milling wheat from a (Chablis x Status) x Chablis cross at CPB Twyford. Straw is moderately short and very stiff. It is moderately late maturing.
It is moderately susceptible to mildew, moderately resistant to septoria but has good resistance to yellow rust. Seems to be moderately resistant to sprouting. Has big seed and good KPH. Agent: Goldcrop
The new spring oat recommended list certainly makes Barra look inadequate yield-wise but it still performs well in the field. The arrival of Keely with provisional recommendation shows three very high-yielding varieties but all have lower specific weight than Barra. Details and ratings for the individual varieties are shown in Table 4.
Variety details
BARRA: Still going strong after over 30 years on the recommended list. A Swedish variety from unnamed parents bred by Svalöf Weibull AB. Straw is moderately short but susceptible to lodging and straw breakdown. It is very susceptible to mildew and susceptible to crown rust. Seed size is small but specific weight is very high. Agent: Goldcrop.
BINARY: Very high yield potential and bred from unnamed parents at Weirsum in the Netherlands. Straw is short but it is moderately susceptible to lodging while being moderately resistant to straw breakdown. It has good resistance to mildew but is moderately susceptible to crown rust. It has big seed and good kernel content but only moderate specific weight. Agent: Goldcrop.
HUSKY: High yield potential from a CPBT SO1 x Freddy cross at Nordsaat in Germany. Straw is short, has good resistance to lodging, but is moderately susceptible to breakdown. Earlier maturing. It is moderately resistant to mildew but susceptible to crown rust. Seed size is relatively small but it has good specific weight. Agent: SeedTech.
KEELY: A very high yielding variety with provisional recommendation for 2017. This early maturing German variety is also from Nordsaat and from a (06/114 x Scorpion) cross. It has moderately short straw with moderate susceptibility to lodging and it is susceptible to straw breakdown. It is moderately resistant to mildew and moderately susceptible to crown rust. It has small seed and very good specific weight. Agent: Goldcrop.
The spring cereal recommended lists for 2017 contain one new barley variety, RGT Planet, and one new oat variety, Keely. Three barley varieties have been dropped – Frontier, Soldo and SY Taberna. Laureate, Olympus and RGT Planet have been added to the malting barley options for 2017 and SY Taberna has been removed.
The spring cereal recommended lists for 2017 contain two new varieties. These are RGT Planet spring barley and Keely spring oats. Both are provisionally recommended. The new lists were published by the Department of Agriculture in early January and contain fewer total varieties than previous years. These lists are an important reference guide for growers in terms of variety choice and crop management.
Three varieties were dropped from the spring barley list which now has six entries. The ones that were discontinued are Frontier, Soldo and SY Taberna. The spring wheat list is the same as last year and there is one additional variety on the spring oats list – Keely.
There is also change in the malting barley list where SY Taberna has been dropped and three new varieties are included. The recommended varieties are KWS Irina, Laureate, Olympus, Overture, Propino and RGT Planet, with Laureate, Olympus and Planet being new.
While yield potential is important, growers are strongly advised to consider all of a variety’s characteristics. Standing power and brackling or disease resistance all have direct husbandry and cost implications. Maturity differences might also be used to good effect.
Spring barley
Relative variety ratings for the different agronomic characteristics are shown in Table 1. KWS Irina continues to have the highest yield rating of the fully recommended varieties but the general gap is smaller.
Details of the varieties deemed best for malting are shown in Table 2. Some of these are on the recommended list while others are specifically recommended for malting.
Variety specifics
KWS IRINA: Has very high yield potential. Straw is moderately short and has good resistance to lodging and breakdown. Average maturity. Has very good resistance to mildew and net blotch, with moderate resistance to rhyncho and brown rust. Seed size is average to small with highish screenings and low specific weight. A Conchita x Quench cross from KWS Lochow in Germany. Agent: SeedTech.
MICKLE: High yield potential. It has short straw combined with good resistance to lodging and straw breakdown. The latter value has been increased. Early maturing but it is moderately susceptible to mildew, brown rust and net blotch, with good resistance to rhyncho. It has average to small grain size and screenings and good specific weight. A Propino x Snakebite cross from Syngenta Seeds in Britain. Agent: SeedTech.
PAUSTIAN: Now fully recommended. Good yield potential (up two points). Moderately tall straw with moderate resistance to lodging and straw breakdown. Later maturing. Has very good resistance to mildew coupled with good resistance to rhyncho and brown rust and moderate resistance to net blotch. Average grain size and specific weight with highish screenings. It is a Zeppelin x Propino cross from Sejet in Denmark. Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.
PROPINO: Average yield. It has quite tall straw and is described as moderately weak with moderate susceptibility to straw breakdown. Average maturity with moderate resistance to mildew and rhyncho and is moderately susceptible to brown rust and net blotch. It has good grain size, low screenings and average specific weight. Progeny of a cross between Quench x NFC Tipple from Syngenta Seeds in Britain. Agent: SeedTech.
SANETTE: High yield potential (up one point) with moderately short straw, moderate resistance to lodging (down a point) but is moderately susceptible to straw breakdown. Later maturing. It has very good resistance to mildew, good resistance to rhyncho and net blotch but is moderately susceptible to brown rust. Seed size is small with highish screenings and lowish specific weight. From a Sumit x Yard cross from Syngenta Seeds. Agent: SeedTech.
RGT PLANET: Very high yield potential with moderately tall straw but it is moderately susceptible to lodging and straw breakdown. It is later maturing. It has very good resistance to mildew, good resistance to rhyncho and moderate resistance to brown rust, but it is moderately susceptible to net blotch. Seed size is average with highish screenings and good specific weight. From a Tamtam x Concerto cross from RAGT UK. Agent: Goldcrop.
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The malting barley varieties are shown in Table 2. These have a somewhat different yield rating compared to Table 1 because different varieties are being compared. There are six varieties recommended this year, with SY Taberna dropped and Laureate, Olympus and RGT Planet added.
Details of the six recommended varieties are shown in Table 2 and most of these have already been described as feeding barleys.
LAUREATE: This is a British variety and it is the highest yielding non-GN variety in the malting trial. It has moderately short straw which is still susceptible to lodging and straw breakdown. However, it has very good resistance to mildew and net blotch, with good resistance to rhyncho and brown rust. It has average seed size and specific weight. It is a cross between Sanette x Concerto from Syngenta Seeds and it is handled here by SeedTech Ltd.
OLYMPUS: This is a British bred non-GN variety with average straw which is moderately susceptibile to lodging but very susceptible to straw breakdown. It has very good resistance to mildew and good resistance to net blotch, rhyncho and brown rust. Grain size is very small; it tends to have higher screenings and hectolitre weight is about average. It was bred by Limagrain from a Genie x LAN 0848) cross and is handled here by agent Seed Tech Ltd.
The 2017 spring wheat list is broadly similar to 2016, with the same three varieties recommended – Quintus, RGT Doubleshot and Sparrow. While all three varieties are regarded as having good milling and baking quality, this information is no longer included on the recommended list.
Spring wheat remains a difficult crop to plan for because interest and area are heavily influenced by planting progress in the autumn. Even this spring, much of the early planting was to winter wheat varieties.
Variety details and characteristic ratings are shown in Table 3.
Variety details
QUINTUS: It has very high yield potential (up one point). It is from unnamed parents and bred at Wiersum in the Netherlands. It is moderately tall with moderately weak straw. This is an awned wheat. Early maturing. It has very good resistance to yellow rust, good resistance to mildew (down one point) and is moderately resistant to septoria. It has quite big seed size and good specific weight. Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.
RGT DOUBLESHOT: A high-yielding French variety from a Josselin x Pasteur cross at RAGT. It has moderately short and moderately weak straw. Average on maturity. It is moderately susceptible to mildew and yellow rust (down two points) and moderately resistant to septoria. It has very small seed size but very good specific weight. Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.
SPARROW: A high-yield potential milling wheat from a (Chablis x Status) x Chablis cross at CPB Twyford. Straw is moderately short and very stiff. It is moderately late maturing.
It is moderately susceptible to mildew, moderately resistant to septoria but has good resistance to yellow rust. Seems to be moderately resistant to sprouting. Has big seed and good KPH. Agent: Goldcrop
The new spring oat recommended list certainly makes Barra look inadequate yield-wise but it still performs well in the field. The arrival of Keely with provisional recommendation shows three very high-yielding varieties but all have lower specific weight than Barra. Details and ratings for the individual varieties are shown in Table 4.
Variety details
BARRA: Still going strong after over 30 years on the recommended list. A Swedish variety from unnamed parents bred by Svalöf Weibull AB. Straw is moderately short but susceptible to lodging and straw breakdown. It is very susceptible to mildew and susceptible to crown rust. Seed size is small but specific weight is very high. Agent: Goldcrop.
BINARY: Very high yield potential and bred from unnamed parents at Weirsum in the Netherlands. Straw is short but it is moderately susceptible to lodging while being moderately resistant to straw breakdown. It has good resistance to mildew but is moderately susceptible to crown rust. It has big seed and good kernel content but only moderate specific weight. Agent: Goldcrop.
HUSKY: High yield potential from a CPBT SO1 x Freddy cross at Nordsaat in Germany. Straw is short, has good resistance to lodging, but is moderately susceptible to breakdown. Earlier maturing. It is moderately resistant to mildew but susceptible to crown rust. Seed size is relatively small but it has good specific weight. Agent: SeedTech.
KEELY: A very high yielding variety with provisional recommendation for 2017. This early maturing German variety is also from Nordsaat and from a (06/114 x Scorpion) cross. It has moderately short straw with moderate susceptibility to lodging and it is susceptible to straw breakdown. It is moderately resistant to mildew and moderately susceptible to crown rust. It has small seed and very good specific weight. Agent: Goldcrop.
The spring cereal recommended lists for 2017 contain one new barley variety, RGT Planet, and one new oat variety, Keely. Three barley varieties have been dropped – Frontier, Soldo and SY Taberna. Laureate, Olympus and RGT Planet have been added to the malting barley options for 2017 and SY Taberna has been removed.
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