The AHDB Recommended Lists for cereals and oilseeds (RL) 2017/18, launched today (28 November), sees 29 new varieties added, including the first soft wheat varieties in four years.

The winter wheat list sees an overall increase of five varieties, while the east/west oilseed rape list has been reduced by four. In total, 28 varieties have been removed from the RL.

Advances in combining high yields with good resistance traits are reflected in disease ratings for new varieties.

Dr Simon Oxley, who heads AHDB’s Crop Production Systems, said: “This year’s biggest change is the addition of six new soft wheat feed varieties – the first new entrants for four years to a wheat category whose markets include distilling, soft biscuit wheat for export, and soft endosperm feed.

“This year, northern growers aiming for distilling markets have some exciting new varieties to consider, with improved yields, first-rate septoria tritici resistance and earlier maturity. Growers further south looking for uks biscuit export varieties or distilling varieties will also find something new.

“Feed growers in soft and hard feed markets will find varieties with a combination of high yield, early maturity, stiff straw and better septoria resistance.”

New wheat varieties resist yellow rust, despite recent race changes

Changes in the yellow rust population last season caused the ratings of some recommended wheat varieties to fall but this year’s new entrants show good resistance to the disease, with ratings of 7 to 9. Most wheat varieties new to the RL are in the relatively low risk category, with high disease and lodging ratings and a high untreated yield.

Dr Oxley said: “The relative risk of these new varieties is low, providing confidence to early adopters of new varieties. For all varieties, new and old, the RL shows information from previous seasons, so there is always a chance risks may change. AHDB disease monitoring is important for identifying any changes that occur in the new season.”

Septoria tritici ratings are now reported to a decimal place, showing exactly where on the rating scale varieties lie and the incremental improvements being made by breeders. Eight of the new varieties have resistance scores between 6.2 and 7.3.

New to the RL – reporting on percentage protein in milling trials

Protein is an important measure for the market when selecting milling wheat varieties. This year’s list shows the percentage protein achieved in trials grown to milling specification, as well as the protein levels reported in all trials, both feed and milling.

Although the RL does not measure the quality of the protein – which can be more important than the total protein – varieties are tested in baking tests managed by nabim to ensure they are up to the mark for the quality bread markets.

Higher-yielding quality wheats are more than capable of achieving market requirements for protein. This year’s list includes a new provisional nabim Group 1 high-yielding, high-quality bread-making wheat, KWS Zyatt.

The spring wheat list also sees the introduction of two new high-yielding nabim group 2 milling wheats, KWS Cochise and KWS Chilham. Both have the flexibility to be drilled in the autumn or spring, having orange wheat blossom midge resistance.

OSR – balancing yields and disease resistance

The new oilseed rape lists see advances in maintaining the yields growers have come to expect, together with superior disease resistance.

“New varieties show excellent overall resistance to light leaf spot and phoma stem canker. Growers looking for top notch resistance with opportunities for better integrated disease management have a new semi-dwarf variety to consider in DK Secret.”

The oilseed rape lists also help to directly compare variety performance in all regions, with this year’s publication of a UK gross output and seed yield for current and new varieties.

New spring barley variety has potential to be an innovative first for brewing

Growers of feed barley can look forward to three new winter feed varieties – a two-row feed for the north (KWS Creswell), as well as a six-row conventional (Funky) and six-row hybrid (Sunningdale) for the UK. There are three new spring barley varieties, under test for brewing, malt distilling and brewing, and grain distilling.

Further tests are required before they achieve IBD approval, but this year sees the first potential brewing variety lacking a gene for lipoxygenase production, Chanson. This helps to improve flavour stability in the end product.
Summaries of the new AHDB Recommended Lists are available on the AHDB website at cereals.ahdb.org.uk/varieties

The full AHDB Recommended Lists for cereals and oilseeds booklet will be distributed in early 2017.

New online tools identify regional variety performance and give growers an opportunity to compare current and new varieties. Harvest 2016 tools are available now and the Variety Selection tool will be updated with 2017/18 RL data in the spring.