The Department of Agriculture recently published all three winter cereal recommend lists for 2017. They contain three new provisionally recommended wheat varieties – Costello, Garrus and Rockefeller. Growers will have very diverse memories of 2016. For many is has been an annus horribilis where low prices were exacerbated by the delayed harvest, yield and quality losses and even the inability to travel. For others it will be remembered for the disappointing yields from some winter crops or the rejection of a malting barley due to skinning.
The Department of Agriculture recently published all three winter cereal recommend lists for 2017. They contain three new provisionally recommended wheat varieties – Costello, Garrus and Rockefeller.
Growers will have very diverse memories of 2016. For many is has been an annus horribilis where low prices were exacerbated by the delayed harvest, yield and quality losses and even the inability to travel. For others it will be remembered for the disappointing yields from some winter crops or the rejection of a malting barley due to skinning.
At farm level there was substantial variation in reports of variety performance. The recommended list makes the most reliable three-year statement of variety performance. On balance, the most important lesson is to have a spread of varieties.
A change of emphasis
For decades, yield was the main threshold for any new variety to be recommended. It had to at least equal the control varieties and this principle has served us well. But times have changed and other factors have become increasingly important. Our reducing ability to control diseases such as septoria has forced a rethink on that principle. The result is that we now have two new wheat varieties recommended with yields lower than the controls but with other redeeming characteristics.
With septoria, being able to slow or prevent early multiplication of this disease helps to keep inoculum and pressure down in the early part of the season. For this reason, varieties such as Rockefeller and Torp are particularly useful.
The 2017 winter wheat recommended list sees Costello, Garrus and Rockefeller added and Dunmore, Leeds and Weaver discontinued. KWS Lili is now fully recommended. Details of the recommended wheats are shown in Table 1.
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Click here for pdf of table.
Good grain fill appears to have helped quality as KPH and thousand grain weight numbers are generally higher on the 2017 list. The time has come to pay more heed to variety vulnerabilities, as well as yield potential. So resistance to diseases, lodging, ear blight and sprouting should be afforded greater importance.
The varieties
AVATAR: Average yield as it is a control variety. It has good resistance to lodging and straw breakdown. It is relatively late-maturing. It is moderately susceptible to mildew and sprouting, susceptible to Septoria spp, and moderately resistant to ear blight with 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, first wheat slots and lighter soils.
Breeder: Limagrain UK.
Agent: Goldcrop.
Parentage: (Istabraq x Lion).
JB DIEGO: Average yield as it is a control variety. Straw is moderately short but has moderate resistance to lodging and good resistance to straw breakdown. It is moderately early maturing. It has good resistance to yellow rust and sprouting, moderate resistance to mildew and ear blight but is moderately susceptible to Septoria spp. A feed variety with big grain and average to good hectolitre weight. Department trials indicate it may be disadvantaged slightly by early sowing but has an advantage in continuous sites.
Breeder: Breun, Germany.
Agent: Germinal Seeds.
Parentage: (3351b1 X Stru2374).
KWS LILI: High yielding with short straw which has very good resistance to lodging and breakdown. Quite late-maturing. It has very good resistance to mildew, moderate resistance to Septoria tritici, yellow rust and sprouting but is susceptible to fusarium. This is a potential bread-making variety with small seed size but good hectolitre weight. It may have a slight advantage for early sowing.
Breeder: KWS UK.
Agent: Goldcrop.
Parentage: (KWS Horizon X CPBT W134).
KWS LUMOS: Slightly lower yield potential but 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 does not seem to show any particular preference for place in rotation or time of planting.
Breeder: KWS UK.
Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.
Parentage: (Cordiale x Dover)
COSTELLO: New with provisional recommendation and slightly lower than average yield. 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. However, it is moderately susceptible to Septoria tritici. It has excellent hectolitre weight.
Breeder: KWS UK
Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.
Parentage: CPBTW151 x CPBT W134.
GARRUS: Also provisionally recommended with high yield potential. It has moderately short straw with good resistance to lodging and moderate resistance to straw breakdown. It has very good resistance to mildew, is moderately resistant to Septoria tritici and ear blight but is moderately susceptible to yellow rust. It is susceptible to sprouting. It has average grain size and lower specific weight. It is relatively late maturing.
Breeder: Limagrain UK.
Agent: Seed Technology Ltd.
Parentage: Lear x Oakley.
ROCKEFELLER: 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 and good resistance to septoria, fusarium and sprouting. It has average sized grain with good specific weight. It appears to benefit from earlier sowing but seems indifferent to place in the rotation.
Breeder: Sejet DK.
Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.
Parentage: Skalmeje x Kredo.
Wheat summary
Three new varieties – Costello, Garrus and Rockefeller.Dunmore, Leeds and Weaver have been dropped.Rockefeller has very good foliar disease resistance. Costello has very high specific weight. Quadra still top of
winter barley list
The winter barley list is broadly similar to last year, with nothing added and nothing taken away. The six-row hybrid, Quadra, remains just ahead of Volume in terms of yield potential and all six varieties are now fully recommended.
Winter barley had a variable but generally disappointing year in 2016 but still the average may not be too far from the five-year mean. But that still disappointed because growers had come to expect the recent highs.
Details of the recommended varieties are shown in Table 2.
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Click here for pdf of table.
The varieties
KWS CASSIA: Had a good year commercially in 2016. 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 had moderate resistance to breakdown. Moderately resistant 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 TOWER: Yield is back one point on last year. It has short straw, good resistance to lodging and moderate resistance to straw breakdown. It is moderately resistant to mildew, rhyncho, brown rust and net blotch. It has very large grain size and good specific weight.
Breeder: KWS UK.
Agent: Goldcrop Ltd.
Parentage: Saffron x Retriever
LEIBNIZ: Relative yield is again up one point on last year. This six-row variety has long straw with moderate resistance to lodging but it is susceptible to straw breakdown. It is moderately early maturing. Leibniz 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 and hectolitre weight is on the low side.
Breeder: KWS Lochow GMBH.
Agent: Seedtech Ltd.
Parentage: (LP 6-936 x BCym 5).
QUADRA: Yield is back a point on last year. It has quite long straw which has good resistance to lodging but is moderately susceptible to straw breakdown. It is an early maturing six-row hybrid. 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: Relative yield is also back one point on last year. This six-row hybrid has quite long straw with only moderate resistance to lodging but it 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. Specific weight is good but grain size is very small.
Breeder: Syngenta Seeds Ltd.
Agent: Seedtech Ltd.
Parentage: F1 Hybrid.
Barley summary
KWS Infinity and the hybrid Quadra are now fully recommended. Quadra has the highest relative yield rating. KWS Infinity and KWS Tower are now rated similar on yield. There has been no material change to the winter oats list this year with the same three varieties recommended and Vodka is fully recommended. Details of the three recommended varieties are shown in Table 3.
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Click here for pdf of table.
It is once again interesting to note the significant change in the relative yields of the two spring varieties. Where 100 equates to 9.2t/ha, the yield difference between Barra and Husky has once again been reduced to six points having been 10 points last year. This happens due to one or other having a particularly good year or where the yield gap was more pronounced in the year that is no longer counted on the recommended list (ie 2013) or a combination of both.
The varieties
BARRA: This long-serving oat variety continues to perform at farm level and its yield rating is once again up two points on last year. Straw is long 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 very high yield potential but it is back two points on last 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 and has better winter hardiness than Barra.
Breeder: Nordsaat, Germany.
Agent: Seedtech Ltd.
Parentage: (CPBT SOI x Freddy).
VODKA: A winter hardy variety that is now fully recommended. Yield potential is rated the same as last year. It is late- maturing. Straw is very short with moderate resistance to lodging and good resistance to straw breakdown. It is moderately susceptible to mildew and moderately resistant to crown rust. Specific weight and kernel content are lower than the spring types.
Breeder: Momont, France.
Agent: Seedtech Ltd.
Parentage: (MHAC 2.3 x MH822)
Oat summary
The 2017 list contains all the same varieties as last year and all characteristics are broadly similar. Vodka is the only winter hardy variety. Yield ratings have again moved closer together with the gap between Barra and Husky reduced by four points. 
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