Winter Wheat Group 1 RGT Skyfall Recommended last year joint highest yielding in Group 1. This years harvest will give millers an opportunity to establish the potential for Skyfall in an increasingly competitive group 1 market. However, this is compensated with a decent agronomic package (the only group one to have OWBM resistance) and looks to be a more forgiving variety in the lower fertility sites and as a second wheat. Skyfall is a variety that is best suited to later sowing dates. Skyfall should also be given priority at harvest. KWS Trinity Newly recommended, joint highest yielding in Group 1. Similarly to Skyfall Trinity Will need further evaluation by millers. Trinity displays a good set of disease scores but is later to mature. Trinity looks set to be a variety that will perform at its best in a first cereal situation on higher fertility sites. Trinity is best drilled early to mid season. Crusoe Solid, tested and trusted Crusoe has a firm following from the end user producing consistent high quality grain and is producing good yields and has good disease resistance too. It is a later maturing variety that needs the higher fertility sites and preferably a first cereal position to reach its maximum potential. Timeliness at harvest is crucial as it does not retain HFN as well as Solstice. Solstice Solstice remains a favourite with the millers due to its consistent grain quality. Despite the fact that its agronomic package may be weaker than its newer contemporaries, it still responds well to fungicides and has the ability to retain HFN in a difficult harvest season. It also offers flexibility on drilling date, site and as a first or second cereal. Solstice still has a place in the rotation by offering consistent grain quality and flexibility at drilling and harvest.
Group 2 KWS Lili Newly recommended, highest yielding milling wheat, it may require very specific management to meet milling requirements. However, with yields comparable to feed wheat, a premium could be viewed as an added bonus. Lili overall is an agronomically-sound variety. KWS Cordiale Like Solstice, another reliable consistent variety that offers both excellent grain quality and flexibility to the grower in terms of harvest date and drilling date. It is also proven as second wheat. UKP = the variety meets the specification for UKP Bread wheat for overseas markets. Group 3 Zulu is yet to fully prove itself but certainly in the eyes of the Dutch millers it has similar rheology to Claire. On top of this it also has a distinct yield advantage and better all-round disease package. Unlike Claire this is not a variety to be drilled early. Scout Again, Claire-like grain quality. Is better suited to a second wheat position or on lighter land. Must be drilled early at a relatively high seed rate as it s not strong at tillering. Claire Benchmark variety has been around since 1999 and is still here due to its consistent grain quality and reliability in the field. Claire will require early drilling, but unlike Scout it produces many tillers. Claire is best suited to first wheat situations and should receive priority at harvest to retain HFN. UKS = variety is suitable for UKS biscuit wheat export markets.
Group 4 JB Diego Most widely grown variety in UK is a very solid reliable variety. Although on paper it is not the highest yielding variety in its group, it has the ability to perform on most soil types whether it is planted early or late, or as a first or second wheat. In addition, it also has the ability to produce good quality grain so in some instances has the potential for a small premium. JB Diego is also equipped with a robust set of disease ratings. KWS Tempo Similar grain characteristics to Diego and in some respects a very similar variety with the added bonus of better disease ratings and slightly higher yields. Can be drilled very early.
Winter Barley KWS Glacier High yielding, two-row variety with excellent specific weights. Glacier is short-strawed and performs well across a range of soil types. Glacier has a good set of disease ratings and is resistant to common strains of BaYMV (Barley Yellow Mosaic Virus). KWS Tower Also a very high yielding, two-row feed barley with good disease scores, Tower is taller than Glacier but has the same lodging score. Tower will perform well across a range of sites but it will perform best on lighter soils. Tower is also resistant to the common strains of BaYMV. KWS Cassia Cassia, despite on paper being outclassed by Glacier and Tower, remains a firm favourite with growers for its consistent performance on farm. Like Glacier and Tower, Cassia is also resistant to the common strains of BaYMV.
Oats The last two years have proved challenging when it comes to marketing oats, however a sharp decline in plantings over the last two harvest years mean the surpluses of produce are much reduced. Gross margins are often far better than anticipated with much lower input costs than other cereals. Suitability to lower fertility sites and second cereal positions make oats a flexible option. Quality is key to achieving milling quality, with specific weight, kernel content and hullability important factors. Mascani is now a firm favourite of both UK and continental millers, proving consistent in the field and the mill.
Hybrid Rye Cossani Good all round variety suited to most soil types and produces high yields. Coussani produces a good number of tillers and has early ear emergence and good disease scores. Performer Very high yielding, good disease-resistance and high lodging-resistance scores. Can be grown across a range of sites but is better being planted on poorer soils earlier in the season. KWS Magnifico Magnifico has become the benchmark variety for Hybrid Rye in the UK for yield, agronomy and field performance. Magnifico has very good straw strength and thickness with good standing ability, though a robust PGR programme is advised. Magnifico has a strong tillering ability. The best results from Magnifico are achieved through early drilling. KWS Progas Similar to Magnifico, Progas has a good all-round agronomic package and has good tillering capacity. What sets Progas apart from Magnifico is its ability to produce more biogas. Again, best results are achieved with early establishment.
Oil Seed Rape Hybrid varieties Incentive A high-yielding, robust, stiff-stemmed hybrid with excellent oil content and good all-round agronomic package with good autumn vigour. Wembley Candidate variety from the same breeder as Avatar and looks to be a natural successor to Avatar. Wembley is high-yielding has good oil content and agronomically sound, but is later to mature than Avatar. Harper Stiff-strawed with high lodging resistance, mid-late maturing variety, good oils will fit into a selection of varieties for the larger OSR grower. Arazzo High-yielding, stiff-stemmed variety, early flowering with early-mid maturity. It has good vigour at establishment. Arazzo has a relatively low oil content. Avatar An agronomically sound variety, early maturing with excellent spring vigour. A consistently reliable performer on farm with good oil content. Early establishment is the key to unlocking Avatar's full potential.
Conventional varieties Trinity Agronomically sound variety is stiff-stemmed and has a high resistance to lodging. It is a mid-late maturing variety with good oil content. Advance A UK-bred variety with excellent autumn and spring vigour, Advance is a low biomass type variety and is short- and stiff-stemmed. It is an early maturing variety with good yields and outstanding oil content. Vision Solid, consistent variety that still performs well across a range of sites and has remained a firm favourite for many growers. ES Mambo Very early flowering, early maturing variety, high yielding with excellent oil content. Seems to perform well across a range of sites. HOLL We are once again able to offer HOLL contracts. With an increase in demand for specialist oils, there remains the opportunity to take advantage of some significant premiums. With some varieties now on the RL and all proven, in terms of yield and agronomics, this offers the grower a great deal of choice. HOLL is best suited to wide rotations where there are low levels of cruciferous weeds and low volunteer OSR pressure.
Winter Beans Winter beans offer a credible alternative break crop on all soil types, but especially on heavy land where spring cropping can be difficult. Drilling from mid October is now realistic where seed numbers can be reduced in good conditions. This crop is currently dominated by Wizard, but there are some new varieties to look out for. Wizard can attract human consumption premiums early in the marketing season, but is less favoured later on. Wizard The most popularly grown winter bean variety, Wizard has earned a good reputation with the North African buyers for the splitting trade. Good overall agronomics make Wizard a solid performer in the field. Tundra First recommended last year, Tundra comes onto the list as the highest yielding winter bean variety. Whilst showing a distinct increase in yield over Wizard, it is agronomically very similar. Being a pale hilum variety with similar quality characteristics as Wizard, initial testing of Tundra by the end user is positive.
Cover Crops Supercover The technical arable cover crop range to suit your farm. With many cover crop mixtures and ranges now available, the Supercover range has been developed using the best available genetic material which has been trialled and tested before being placed in a mixture. We are also using this material in bespoke mixtures and mixtures that can be used to comply with EFA greening requirements. For more information see the arable cover crop section on this website or contact a member of the team.
Seed Treatments More and more growers are utilising broader spectrum seed treatments to manage establishment and rotational issues. Increasing flexibility and used as a management tool, added-value seed treatments are now seen as standard for many growers. Redigo Deter Activity against slug hollowing, virus-spreading aphid and wireworm make this flexible product a must for cereals after oilseed rape, September drilling or after grass/regenerated set-aside. Signal A Cypermethryn based insecticidal product, Signal offers good control of wheat bulb fly in cereals. Austral Plus This product replaces Evict, with improved wireworm control, as well as better operator and environmental safety. Galmano For control of Take-all in lower risk situations. Also good activity against Septoria Tritici. Latitude Now well established as an excellent control for Take-all in wheat, Latitude now makes second wheats a sustainable option within many rotations.