At farm level it was almost impossible to conclude on differences in variety performance in 2018. The ‘field’ factor was most dominant in many parts of the country. This was a year when rotation, soil management and soil type had the greatest affect on crop performance.

In these situations we depend even more on variety performance results from trials and the recommended lists are very important to guide choices.

Yet again this year, varieties that were not recommended were often disappointing.

Spring-sown crops were very disappointing in many areas. There is likely to be a swing to winter-planting to spread the risk.

Grain quality was generally good this year, helped by low-moisture levels at harvest. However, there were some definite exceptions with very high screening levels resulting from moisture stress and protein levels that frequently exceeded limits for malting.

Spread the risk

The importance of spreading the risk across a number of crops was perhaps the single most important lesson from 2018. This is especially important for any grower with a sizable acreage. And as well as a spread of crops, there should also be a spread of varieties.

It continues to be emphasised that variety of choice should not be based on yield alone.

A yield benefit may have to be two to four points higher to signify a real yield advantage.

Standing power, disease resistance and quality characteristics are all very important to help insure a marketable product.

Disease resistance is even more important with early planting.

Six-row varieties (6R) have long been associated with high yield potential but with a big quality risk.

Looking at the numbers on this year’s winter barley list it would seem that the modern 6R varieties no longer carry this quality penalty.

One new variety, KWS Conros, has been added to the 2019 winter wheat recommended list while Bennington and Torp have been fully recommended.

Rockefeller has been dropped. Details of the recommended varieties are shown in Table 1.

Interestingly thousand-grain weights are lower again this year and specific weights (KPH) are back slightly.

Wheat varieties

AVATAR: Average yield as it is a control variety. It has good resistance to lodging and straw breakdown. It is moderately late maturing. It is moderately susceptible to mildew, susceptible to Septoria spp and sprouting (down a point), moderately resistant to ear blight and has good resistance to yellow rust. It is a feed variety with big grain and average to good hectolitre weight. May have an edge on Diego for early planting and lighter soils.

Breeder: Limagrain, UK.

Agent: Goldcrop.

Parentage: Istabraq x Lion.

BENNINGTON: A new provisionally recommended feed variety with high yield. Straw is moderately long but it has good resistance to lodging and very good resistance to breakdown. It is moderate resistant to mildew, Septoria spp and yellow rust, with good resistance to fusarium. It is moderately susceptible to sprouting. It has big grain and good specific weight.

Breeder: Elsoms, UK.

Agent: Germinal Irl.

Parentage: Alchemy x Battalion

COSTELLO: Full recommendation this year. Had a good year commercially. Straw is short and strong with good resistance to straw breakdown. It has very good resistance to mildew, yellow rust and sprouting and good resistance to ear blight. It is moderately susceptible to Septoria spp. It has excellent hectolitre weight.

Breeder: KWS UK

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: CPBTW151 x CPBT W134

GARRUS: Fully recommended this year. High yield potential but down a point on last year. It has moderately short straw, good resistance to lodging and moderate resistance to straw breakdown. It has very good resistance to mildew, is moderately resistant to Septoria spp. and ear blight but is susceptible to yellow rust (down a point) and sprouting. It has average grain size and lower specific weight. It is moderately late maturing.

Breeder: Limagrain UK

Agent: Seed Technology Ltd.

Parentage: Lear x Oakley

JB DIEGO: Average yield potential. Straw is moderately short, has moderate resistance to lodging and good resistance to straw breakdown. It is moderately early maturing. It has good resistance to sprouting, moderate resistance to mildew and ear blight but is moderately susceptible to Septoria spp. and yellow rust. Its yellow rust resistance has been decreased by two points. A feed variety with big grain and average to good hectolitre weight. It may have an advantage in continuous sites.

Breeder: Breun, Germany.

Agent: Germinal Irl.

Parentage: (3351b1 X Stru2374).

KWS LILI: Yield is down a point on last year. It has short straw with very good resistance to lodging and good resistance to straw breakdown. Late maturing. It has very good reistance to mildew, moderate resistance to Septoria spp, yellow rust and sprouting but is susceptible to fusarium. This is a potential bread making variety with small seed size and good hectolitre weight. It can be used for bread making.

Breeder: KWS UK.

Agent: Goldcrop.

Parentage: (KWS Horizon X CPBT W134)

KWS LUMOS: Good yield potential with short and very strong straw. It has good resistance to straw breakdown, mildew, yellow rust and sprouting. It is moderately susceptible to Septoria spp. and ear blight. It is early maturing. It has small grain but very good specific weight. It is a potential bread making variety.

Breeder: KWS UK.

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: Cordiale x Dover

TORP: High yielding and late maturing. Straw height is average with good resistance to lodging and moderate resistance to breakdown. It has good resistance to Septoria spp, moderate resistance to yellow rust and sprouting, is moderately susceptible to mildew but is susceptible to fusarium. It has big seed but hectolitre weight is on the low side.

Breeder: Nordic Seeds, DK.

Agent: Drummonds Ltd.

Parentage: Ambition x Symbol ]]

KWS CONROS: This new provisionally recommended variety offers high yield good straw and good grain quality. It is high yielding (102), with moderately tall straw that has very good resistance to lodging and breakdown. And like many others it is moderately late maturing. It has very good resistance to mildew and yellow rust but is moderately susceptible to Septoria spp. It has good resistance to sprouting. Thousand grain weight is on the low side but hectolitre weight is very good.

• Breeder: KWS UK

• Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

• Parentage: Skalmeje X CPBT W134

The 2019 winter barley list sees three new varieties added – Bazooka, Belfry and Pixel – with KWS Kosmos now fully recommended and Leibniz has been dropped.

Details of all the recommended varieties are shown in Table 3.

Barley varieties

[[KWS CASSIA: Had a good year commercially again in 2018. Moderately early maturing and it has excellent quality with big bold grain and very high specific weight. Straw is short and stiff with moderate resistance to breakdown. It is susceptible to rhyncho, moderately susceptible to mildew and has good resistance to brown rust and net blotch.

Breeder: KWS UK.

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: (Eden x Carat) x Saffron.

KWS INFINITY: Yield rating is down again in 2019 for two years in a row. Straw is short with good resistance to lodging but only moderate resistance to breakdown. Moderately susceptible to mildew and good resistance to rhyncho, brown rust and net blotch. It has large grain size with good specific weight.

Breeder: KWS UK

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: Cassia x Retriever.

KWS KOSMOS: A conventional six-row variety, now fully recommended, with high yield potential but this is back two points on last year. It has long straw with moderate resistance to lodging but is susceptible to straw breakdown. It has very good resistance to mildew combined with good resistance to brown rust, rhyncho and net blotch. It has moderate grain quality with reasonable specific weight.

Breeder: KWS Lochow

Agent: Seedtech Ltd.

Parentage: (G1530/06 x KWS Meridian)

KWS TOWER: A good two-row but its yield rating is back two points in each of the last two years. It has short straw, good resistance to lodging but is now regarded as moderately susceptible to straw breakdown. It is moderately resistant to mildew, rhyncho and brown rust but is now regarded as very susceptible to net blotch (down again this year). It has very large grain size and good specific weight.

Breeder: KWS UK.

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: Saffron x Retriever

QUADRA: Six-row hybrid with high yield potential but its yield rating is back three points. It has long straw, good resistance to lodging but is moderately susceptible to straw breakdown. It is early maturing. It has good resistance to mildew, rhyncho and net blotch with moderate resistance to brown rust. It has small grain size but good specific weight.

Breeder: Syngenta Seeds Ltd.

Agent: Seedtech Ltd.

Parentage: F1 Hybrid.

VOLUME: A six-row hybrid with high yield potential but its yield rating is back two points on last year. It has long straw with only moderate resistance to lodging and is now rated as very susceptible to straw breakdown. It is moderately resistant to mildew and brown rust but has good resistance to rhyncho and net blotch. It is early maturing. Grain size is small and specific weight is at the lower end of the scale.

Breeder: Syngenta Seeds Ltd.

Agent: Seedtech Ltd.

Parentage: F1 Hybrid. ]]

BAZOOKA: A new six-row hybrid with very high yield potential. It has very long straw but it has good resistance to lodging. However, it is moderately susceptible to straw breakdown. It is early maturing. It has very good resistance to rhyncho with moderate resistance to mildew and good resistance to brown rust and net blotch. Grain size is relatively small but it has good hectolitre weight.

Breeder: Syngenta UK.

Agent: Seedtech Ltd.

Parentage: F1 Hybrid

BELFRY: Another new six-row hybrid with very high yield potential. It has long straw with good resistance to lodging but it is moderately susceptible to straw breakdown. It is early maturing. It has very good resistance to rhyncho with moderate resistance to mildew and good resistance to brown rust and net blotch. Grain size is small but it has a good hectolitre weight.

Breeder: Syngenta UK

Agent: Seedtech Ltd.

Parentage: F1 Hybrid

PIXEL: Another new six-row but this is a conventional variety with very high yield potential. Straw is relatively short and it has good resistance to lodging but it is susceptible to straw breakdown. Early maturing. It has good resistance to mildew, Rhyncho and brown rust with moderate resistance to net blotch. Grain size is small but hectolitre weight is good. This six-row variety is different in that it produces far more ears than other six row types and ear size in much smaller.

Breeder: Secobra UK

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: Etincel x (Henriette x Limpid)

Two new varieties, Delfin and RGT Southwark, have been added to the 2019 recommended oat list and Keely is now fully recommended.

Details of the oat varieties are shown in Table 2.

Oat varieties

[[BARRA: Now on its 33rd recommended list. Yield is rated eight points lower than Husky and it is back one yield point on last year. Still performs well at field level. Straw is tall and it is susceptible to lodging and straw breakdown. It is moderately late maturing. It is very susceptible to mildew and susceptible to crown rust. It has very high specific weight and kernel content.

Breeder: Svalöf Weibull AB.

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: (Selma x KM1 MS).

HUSKY: Has high yield potential (up one point this year). Straw is relatively short and stiff but it is moderately susceptible to straw breakdown. Grain quality is good. It has moderate resistance to mildew but it is susceptible to crown rust. It is early maturing.

Breeder: Nordsaat, Germany.

Agent: Seedtech Ltd.

Parentage: (CPBT SOI x Freddy).

KEELY: Now fully recommended and yield is up one point this year. It has shortish straw but is moderately susceptible to lodging and susceptible to straw breakdown. Has very good grain quality with specific weight similar to Barra. It is moderately susceptibility to mildew and susceptible to crown rust.

Breeder: Nordsaat, Germany.

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: (06/114 x Scorpion).]]

DELFIN: A very high yielding new variety on the list. It has good resistance to lodging and moderate resistance to straw breakdown. It is moderately early maturing. A spring type with good grain quality but it is a yellow oat. It has very good resistance to mildew but it is susceptible to crown rust.

Breeder: Nordsaat, Germany.

Agent: Seedtech Ltd.

Parentage: 07/107 X Canyon

RGT SOUTHWARK: Another new late maturing winter hardy variety with tall weak straw that is susceptible to lodging and straw breakdown. Has very good kernel content and good hectolitre weight. Very good resistance to crown rust but susceptible to mildew.

Breeder: RAGT.

Agent: Goldcrop.

Parentage: (932536 X 24062) X 24082

  • Three new winter barley varieties have been provisionally recommended – Bazooka, Belfry and Pixel.
  • KWS Conros winter wheat and Delfin and RGT Southwark oats have also been provisionally recommended.

    • Leibniz 6R barley and Rockefeller wheat have been dropped.