The Department of Agriculture recently published all three winter cereal recommended lists for 2018. They contain two new provisionally recommended wheat varieties, along with one barley and one oat variety.

There are nine recommended winter wheat varieties for 2018 (Table 1), which include Bennington and Torp with provisional recommendation.

There are seven winter barley varieties, including the newly recomended KWS Kosmos (Table 2), which has provisional recommendation. And Keely has been added to the winter oats list (Table 3), again with provisional recommedation.

Spread the risk

It is important for any grower with a sizable acreage to have a spread of varieties and not to rely too heavily on ones that are not well proven over time. Having a number of varieties is important because of unpredictable management pressures or yield variability or both.

There are additional concerns with large areas of wheat this coming year due to the continuing march of septoria resistance. This is something that every wheat grower must be conscious of, especially in terms of variety choice, planting date and the dependence on that crop. Having a spread of crops that suit soil types is always good farming practice.

For any crop, varieties must be chosen for a combination of yield and other characteristics to help plan management. While yield is important, there is little guarantee that a yield difference of even two points will happen in practice in any year. Critical factors in wheat are yield, standing power, relative maturity and resistance to septoria, yellow rust, mildew and ear blight.

Wheat varieties

Details of the individual wheat varieties are shown in Table 1.

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 has big grain and average to good hectolitre weight. May have an edge on Diego for early planting on 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 moderately 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 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 grain quaity.

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 resistance to mildew, moderate resistance to Septoria spp, yellow rust and sprouting, but is susceptible to fusarium. It is a potential bread-making variety with small seed size and good hectolitre weight.

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.

ROCKEFELLER: Still provisionally recommended, with yield similar to Lumos. A late-maturing variety with tall straw and moderate susceptibility to lodging. But it has good resistance to straw breakdown. It has very good resistance to mildew and yellow rust, good resistance to fusarium and sprouting and moderate resistance to septoria (down one point). It has big grain size and good specific weight.

Breeder: Sejet DK.

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: Skalmeje x Kredo.

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.

Quadra still top of winter barley list

The winter barley list is broadly similar to last year, with the addition of KWS Kosmos, a new conventional six-row variety. The six-row hybrid Quadra remains just ahead of Volume and Kosmos on yield. Details of the recommended varieties are shown in Table 2. Many varieties are down a point on yield.

KWS CASSIA: Had a good year commercially again in 2017. 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: Good yield with short straw and good resistance to lodging. Straw has 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 new provisionally recommended conventional six-row variety with very high yield potential. 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: (G1530/06xKWS Meridian).

KWS TOWER: Good yield potential. It has short straw and good resistance to lodging, but is now regarded as moderately susceptible to straw breakdown. It is moderately resistant to mildew, rhyncho and brown rust and is now regarded as moderately susceptible to net blotch. It has very large grain size and good specific weight.

Breeder: KWS UK.

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: Saffron x Retriever.

LEIBNIZ: High yield potential. This six-row variety has long straw, with moderate resistance to lodging, but it is susceptible to straw breakdown. It is moderately early maturing. It has moderate resistance to mildew, good resistance to rhyncho and net blotch, but it is very susceptible to brown rust. It has average seed size, but is at the lower end of specific weight.

Breeder: KWS Lochow.

Agent: Seedtech Ltd.

Parentage: (LP 6-936 x BCym 5).

QUADRA: Six-row hybrid with very high yield potential. It has long straw and 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: Another six-row hybrid with very high yield potential. It has long straw, with only moderate resistance to lodging and is 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.

Keely added to winter oat list

One new variety, Keely (already on the spring oat recommended list), has been added to the winter oat list for 2018 and Vodka, the only true winter type, has been discontinued.

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

BARRA: Now serving in its third decade and has been a truely remarkable performer over that period. Yield is rated six points lower than Husky, but it 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. 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: Provisionally recommended this year with shortish straw, but it is moderately susceptible to lodging and susceptible to straw breakdown. Has good grain quality. It is moderately susceptible to mildew and susceptible to crown rust.

Breeder: Nordsaat, Germany.

Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.

Parentage: (06/114 x Scorpion).