Yellow and brown rust infections have presented one of the main sources of stress for this year’s winter wheat crops, especially in the eastern counties where septoria has played second fiddle due to the dry spring conditions. With that in mind, Lee Bennett, independent seed specialist, is urging growers to carefully consider which varieties to drill this autumn, with a warning that some of the current favourites might no longer offer the best levels of rust resistance.

“Rusts, particularly yellow rust, have had a profound impact on crop cleanliness this season, with ProCam trials suggesting that some of the more popular first and second wheat options have been unable to cope with the high disease burden, despite their supposed resistance ratings,” Lee claims.

“Admittedly some growers decided to reduce fungicide inputs this year due to a combination of low commodity prices and  tighter margins following last year’s poor harvest, but even where a full programme of fungicides has been applied, some relatively recent and popular varieties have started to show their age with yellow rust really putting their performance under the microscope.”

Speaking at ProCam’s June open day at Cawood near York, Lee explained that the proof of the pudding will be when combines begin cutting in July and yield figures start to materialise.

“ProCam has been testing a wide selection of current and new wheat varieties under a range of fungicide regimes at several sites across the UK,” Lee continues. “From what we’ve seen so far this season, several of the UK’s top varieties, including group 3 wheat Bamford, and group 4 varieties Champion, and LG Beowulf, have been very susceptible to rust attacks. It won’t, therefore, come as a surprise if yields for the worst affected varieties are down by as much as half a tonne per hectare, or potentially more.

“Thankfully, the next generation of winter wheats is already available,” Lee adds, “although a shortage of seed will mean alternative varieties such as KWS Solitaire, LG Challenger, LG Defiance, KWS Vibe and KWS Arnie are likely to sell out quickly.”

Lee therefore urges growers to start thinking about which varieties they want to grow in the new cropping cycle sooner rather than later, especially if they are dedicated group 3 wheat growers as there are limited alternatives to Bamford, which has been the UK’s most popular wheat variety this season. “There’s only ever a finite amount of the newest genetics available in their first year, so it’s critical for growers that want to secure seed to get ahead of the rush. Part of ProCam’s remit is to independently test new varieties on behalf of their customers, which is why, in addition to walking growers’ commercial crops, their agronomists have also been studying this year’s variety screening trials.

“With so many new and nearly new varieties to choose from, and a lot of marketing hype and Recommended List noise to filter, selecting the right option for a specific location, soil type or end market can be baffling. My advice is therefore simple: speak to your agronomist as soon as possible, take their advice onboard, and don’t leave it until the eleventh hour to place your order as that’s a surefire route to disappointment. Especially if you end up with a variety that requires the full kitchen sink of fungicides to be thrown at it to cope with whatever testing conditions next year is inevitably bound to conjure.”