New winter barley varieties to rival old favourites
Winter barley growers have increased options this autumn, with a number of new varieties on the 2019 AHDB Recommended List showing they can compete with some of the established favourites.
There are a number of two-row additions that should not be overlooked. Valerie has the highest two-row untreated yield on the list, with a rating of 87 and provides a good overall agronomic package, particularly with its rating of nine for brown rust.
It's also very stiff-strawed, with a score of eight, similar to KWS Orwell – which currently holds around 30 per cent of the market.
A stand-out point for Valerie is its specific weight of 70.2. KWS Cassia, the third most popular variety in the UK, has the highest score of 71. With Valerie able to compete in terms of the whole package offering, as well as yielding four per cent higher than KWS Cassia, it’ll be interesting to see its share in the market over the next few years.
LG Flynn should also be a strong consideration. With a high yielding score for both the East and West for the two-rows, and a good specific weight of 69.8, it’s an extremely competitive new addition to the list.
There are also a number of two-row malting barleys which are consistent in yield, agronomic package and overall performance. Therefore, the differentiating factor is the end market.
Syngenta’s Craft is favoured by contractors, with little lodging and overall good characteristics. Another one to watch from Syngenta in the upcoming season is Electrum. It’s currently being trialled, so it will be interesting to see how it performs.
For those looking for a six-row hybrid, Bazooka, which became available in 2016, continues to be popular.
Although there are several exciting new additions overall, some of the old favourites will continue to dominate the overall winter barley market.
For a number of years, Surge has taken one of the top spots, and its popularity hasn’t altered in 2019. It’s a very farmer friendly variety, with a high score of 86 per cent for untreated yield and an overall solid disease package. It also provides good grain quality and specific weight year-on-year.
With a share of around a third of the two-row winter barley grown in the UK, we’re predicting KWS Orwell will again be a popular choice this autumn.
It’s a consistent performer across all regions, providing the stiffest two-row score with its lodging percentage, coupled with a good combination of wet weather disease resistance. Its yield, which is only one per cent off the highest yielder, also helps.
Jonathan Baxendale, Wynnstay combinable seed product manager
