As the highest yielding winter wheat on the 2023/24 Recommended List, LG Redwald is an exciting new option for growers this autumn.

The variety is the latest from Limagrain UK’s Woolpit wheat breeding station in Suffolk, and has proven to be a very consistent performer over multiple seasons and regions, as evidenced in its exceptional RL yield scores of 107 for the UK and East, and 109 for the West.

This is driven by LG Redwald’s large biomass, high tillering capacity, and strong agronomics - notably strong Septoria resistance - inherited from its LG Sundance parentage.

“LG Redwald is a beast,” Limagrain UK arable technical manager, Ron Granger, says. “It is a strong, vigorous variety, that has shown consistently high yield potential in both internal and external trials across regions and difficult growing seasons.

“We know bigger biomass varieties tend to be higher yielding and more robust, especially in more challenging seasons, such as 2022,” he adds.

But, to make the most of this exceptional yield potential does require care and following good agronomic practice, so Mr Granger highlights five key areas to focus on.

“The yield potential is very high, but you have to get certain criteria right to make the most of it.”

1. Soil type & rotational position

To support LG Redwald’s high yield potential and ensure crops do not senesce too early, which may compromise yield and specific weight, Mr Granger says the variety is best grown on water retentive soils, rather than lighter land prone to drought.

It performs well in either a first or second wheat position, and, like LG Sundance, appears to have good tolerance to take-all, although may not suit situations where eyespot is a significant risk.

2. Drilling date/ seed rate

Early drilling is best avoided as, although high yields can still be achieved, drilling early increases the risk of crops becoming too large and hard to manage by the spring, Mr Granger says.

“LG Redwald is best suited to the standard drilling window of mid-October onwards, and can be drilled up to mid-February if drilling is delayed. For growers in the North, the drilling date can be pulled back to the beginning of October.”

LG Redwald produces more, stronger tillers than other varieties, and appears better at retaining those tillers through to harvest, producing more grains per ear than many other varieties. This tillering capacity affords much more flexibility when it comes to seed rates, and may make it a good option to consider for farmers on wider-row drilling systems, he says.

Experience over several seasons shows there is scope to reduce farm standard seed rates by 15-20%, with no effect on overall yield performance, and ensure better lodging resistance, he adds. In trials at Woolpit, the highest yields were achieved from a lower seed rate of 275 seeds/m², although the optimum rate will vary for individual farms, soil types, seasons and establishment conditions.

3. Nutrition

Careful nitrogen management is important in all crops, but particularly so given LG Redwald’s ability to put on large amounts of biomass, Mr Granger says. It is a fine balancing act between supplying enough nitrogen to meet crop demands, while not increasing the risk of crops becoming too large and hard to manage, he notes.

In situations where growth is particularly lush coming out of winter, he suggests there is scope to delay early nitrogen, to help manage canopies, and mitigate lodging risk.

“The issue is, we never know what the weather will do, and growers can get caught out by not applying early nitrogen in a dry season. That’s why many have moved away from delayed nitrogen in the last few years, when we’ve seen more drought situations occur - although this spring has been very different.”

Understanding soil nutrient status is essential. Mr Granger favours a “little and often” approach to nitrogen applications, applied according to crop requirements, and at timings when crops can utilise the nutrients effectively.

“I think many growers have learnt very quickly with the price of nitrogen soaring, that it has to be used effectively and that nitrogen rates can be reduced if utilised effectively.”

4. PGR programme

Given LG Redwald’s large biomass and taller straw (94 cm), a well-timed split plant growth regulator programme is recommended, and will support important cultural methods of managing lodging risk, namely drilling date, and reducing seed rates.

“You need to apply the first PGR as soon as that first node is moving from the base, to keep it tight against the root node. This usually occurs between growth stage 30 to 31, basically, as soon as the plant starts stem elongation,” Mr Granger explains.

“Treat crops again after GS 31, before GS 32, when that second node is moving off the first, to keep nodes tight together. The tighter you keep them, the shorter, stiffer the straw. Including Moddus (trinexapac-ethyl) will stiffen stem wall cells as well.”

Where lodging risk is particularly high in large crops on fertile sites, a final late PGR of Cerone (ethephon) or Terpal (ethephon + mepiquat) should also be considered where necessary. On loosely structured soils, rolling in the spring before GS 30, can further help reduce lodging risk.

5. Disease control

LG Redwald is a later maturing variety (+2), so effective disease control through the season, including a good T3, is key to maintaining productive canopies and effective grain fill, thereby maximising yield potential, Mr Granger says.

“If you don’t apply a T3, you risk cutting the variety short for its final yield push. You need to let the plant do everything it can to fill the grain.”

Disease-wise, LG Redwald inherits excellent Septoria resistance from LG Sundance, with a three-year rating of 6.7 - the highest of all soft Group 3 & 4 wheats. It is also strong against brown rust (6) and has orange wheat blossom midge resistance.

The variety is rated 7 for yellow rust, featuring adult rather than seedling resistance, therefore growers need to monitor young plants closely early in the season and treat crops accordingly where required at T0 or T1 timings.

“I believe it is best to keep yellow rust races out of the crop as a protective strategy, rather than trying to fight a battle at a later date, if the disease becomes a threat.

“To summarise, look at the attributes LG Redwald has to offer for on-farm placement, and back this up with good, well-timed agronomic fungicide/ PGR programmes, to ensure maximum performance of the variety.”

LG Redwald key points

• Highest yielding variety on the RL
• Consistency of yield across regions and seasons
• Highest yielding second wheat
• Large biomass and high tillering capacity
• Strong resistance against Septoria and brown rust
• OWBM resistance
• Distilling potential
• Suits later drilling and water retentive soils
• Requires good agronomy to achieve best results
• Parentage: LG Sundance x Generation