Bamford, an early maturing, high yielding Group 3 Soft wheat, is receiving strong seed trade support on the back of very promising results recorded in National List (NL) trials according to both Laura Beaty, Seed Grain Director at McCreath Simpson and Prentice (MSP) and Andrew Bourne, Seeds Manager for independent seed merchant T Denne and Sons.

             Laura, who has followed Bamford’s progress closely through NL1 and NL2 trials, believes the new variety, bred by UK independent breeder Elsoms Seeds, has wide marketability, with potential to be a key variety in the distilling market.

               She says “With a treated yield of almost 106% supported by a very high untreated yield of 92%, both figures higher than other varieties in its class, Bamford looks to be one of the most exciting varieties going forward onto the 2024 Recommended List (RL) later this year. With a score of 7 for Septoria Tritici and with strong disease resistance to both mildew and yellow rust, it looks robust and should attract growers from all regions within the UK.

               “As a Northern based business, MSP are always on the lookout for robust, high yielding Group 3’s that are suitable for distilling. Having seen positive reports on the varieties’ alcohol yield and residue viscosity conducted by the Scottish Whisky Research Institute at NL2, we can already see Bamford’s commercial promise.

               “On maturity, Bamford’s +1 rating fits nicely between Skyscraper and many of the other soft wheats that carry a very early +2 score, and its ability to bridge that gap should help larger growers to spread their harvests.

       “The next stage will be to await the varieties entry onto the next RL before we place it with key growers to further evaluate its performance more closely in real farm situations” she concludes.

                  Endorsing Laura’s agronomic assessment of the variety, Andrew Bourne - Seed Manager for T Denne and Sons, first observed Bamford in NL1 trials on a breeders’ site back in 2021.

            Andrew says” I specifically remember the trials manager singling it out as ‘one to watch’ and you have to make an important mental note in those situations, given it wasn’t actually one of their own varieties! The 7 for Septoria is a stand-out stat, but when you look closely at Bamford’s parentage and realise that it’s a Moulton cross, not a Cougar cross, then the genetic sums begin to add up.

         “In our region we still have a lot of growers with KWS Zyatt and RAGT Skyfall, both good yielders but with high susceptibility to yellow rust. Bamford’s 7.8 score for yellow rust, combined with its very high yield, could make it a popular choice for the South.

        “On out and out yield it’s challenging the best of the Group 4’s, and has definite potential to become another Riband or Consort - two highly successful varieties that came out of the Plant Breeding Institute (PBI) programme in the 1990’s. Neither were the most popular varieties because they were Group 3’s, they simply had that perfect combination of high yield, excellent disease resistance and consistency.

         “Bamford is not only the most competitive Group 3 variety at this stage; it has the potential to become one of the most competitive and marketable Soft wheats in the market with suitability for biscuit-making, export and distilling. With that kind of market flexibility, it certainly looks to be one of the most exciting NL candidate varieties on this year’s list” he concludes.