The winter barley market has become highly competitive and offers growers a really good choice when it comes to choosing a variety.

Varieties like Joyau, Integral and Orcade have become firm favourites, while Cassia and Tardis have maintained a share of the area for speciality markets and because growers have become attached.

A massive 84% of varieties on offer are now barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) tolerant varieties. The main varieties coming onto the market are Organa, Littoral, SY Kestrel and KWS Legendis.

All of these varieties offer BYDV tolerance, with SY Kestrel declaring BYDV resistance. Organa is the only new variety with substantial seed at 16% of the total area in certification, see table 1.

Organa

Organa winter barley at the Drummonds crops open evening at Drummonds trial site Termonfeckin, Co Louth. \ Barry Cronin

Organa offers BYDV tolerance and as a two-row variety has a good KPH at 68.6. It’s an early variety and has good disease resistance, strong straw and has high yield potential, with good grain quality and low screenings.

SY Kestrel

SY Kestrel is BYDV resistant. The six-row hybrid is reported to be about five-days later than Joyau to head out and the breeder claims it has a new standard of BYDV protection with good vigour and high yield potential.

Littoral

Littoral Winter Barley. \ Donal O'Leary

Littoral is a six-row, conventional variety. It has good straw, but is reported to be slightly behind Integral on straw strength. The variety comes from the same breeder as Integral and it comes in after this variety. Integral sown at the same time would have awns 70% out when Littoral reaches awns emerging.

LG Legendis

Legendis Winter Barley. \ Donal O'Leary

LG Legendis was impressive in the plots. The Department reported that the two-row variety has a KPH of 68.8 which passes out KWS Cassia. It’s reported to be strong on net blotch and rates an 8 or a 9 on rhynchosporium.

It rates similarly to KWS Tardis on straw. KWS Lemuris is very closely related to this variety, but there is no seed available for it. It rates similarly to KWS Legendis.

Varieties in the pipeline

There is no seed available for LG Caprice or LG Carvelle, but they are ones to look out for.

LG Carvelle had a KPH of 70.1 in Department trials, but does not have BYDV tolerance.

Hopinel is another one with a good disease profile.