With less than six months until the next Recommended List (RL) is announced, leading Independent seed breeder Elsoms Seeds has strengthened its current variety portfolio with four impressive new additions confirms Kurtis Scarboro, Crop Manager for cereals and oilseeds with the Spalding based company.

Kurtis says” With a new line up of candidate varieties offering feed-level yields, strong disease resistance packages and outstanding marketability the Elsoms pipeline goes from strength to strength.

“Achieving 108% to controls in current National List (NL) trials with an eye catching 110% yield score in the east, Inferno is the highest yielding winter feed barley on the candidate list. With a very high tillering capacity – perfect for both weed suppression and high straw production, Inferno offers a significant step forward in yield over older varieties such as KWS Tardis and LG Caravelle. 

“Add in a high specific weight, excellent disease scores including an 8 for brown rust together with strong industry support and it looks a variety with a strong future ahead.

“Having recently established a strong reputation for producing high performing Group 3 Soft wheats such as Bamford, Elsoms now have two new exciting Group 3’s – Lucifer and Sunspire, both offering the same strong combination of high yield plus outstanding marketability.

“With a treated yield of 106% across the UK plus an outstanding 113% yield for the north, Lucifer offers growers an early drilling window along with a slower prostrate growth habit through the autumn, allowing it to put on a high number of tillers. Combining these two traits creates a longer growing season for the variety giving farmers a great platform to achieve higher yields.

“Lucifer’s disease package includes a 7 for yellow rust, a 6 for both mildew and brown rust and a 6.6 for Septoria with the added benefit of orange wheat blossom midge resistance (OWBMR). However, beyond its strong genetic traits, Lucifer’s popularity and appeal to growers could rest on its wide marketability which includes approval for biscuit making, distilling and export.

“Matching Lucifer’s exceptional marketability across those 3 sectors is our other Group 3 Soft wheat Sunspire. At 107% for the UK, it’s higher yielding than any of the current Group 3’s on the RL and that high yield also makes it an excellent option for growers seeking a barn filling feed wheat.

“On disease resistance it has 7’s for yellow rust, brown rust and mildew together with a 6.7 for Septoria. With highly anticipated trade support and high market expectations Sunspire has the right credentials to become a great all-rounder, offering growers all the positives of Bamford with even more yield.

“Completing the line-up is our new Group 4 hard feed wheat Bluebird. With its unique set of agronomics, Bluebird isn’t a typical run of the mill feed wheat. Offering a shorter stem length and with a -2 maturity score it definitely offers an alternative to many of the taller, later maturing Group 4’s.

“Add in a treated yield of 107% in the west, an excellent specific weight of 77.8kg/hl plus strong disease resistance scores that include a 7.1 for Septoria and Bluebird looks likely to become another excellent addition to the Group 4 list this December” he concludes.