UK: Eight new barley varieties added to the UK’s Recommended List

Eight new barley varieties are added to the UK’s Recommended List, three winter types and five spring, Farmers’ Weekly reported on December 7.

Tower looks the most interesting of the new winter barley varieties and could prove to be a useful partner to last year’s high yielding newcomer Glacier.

The new variety comes from the same breeder KWS as Glacier, and both could become big varieties as the winter barley market consolidates towards feed rather than malting types.

“Tower will add more choice to the feed market and will probably do well in the west with its disease resistance profile,” says David Leaper of Openfield.

The arrival of Glacier last year represented a big step up in yield over established variety Cassia, again from KWS, and new variety Tower will provide another high-output option.

Barry Barker of Agrii says that Glacier has already established itself in the market, taking ground from Cassia last year and he expects it to consolidate its leading position next season.

“In my opinion, Glacier has the edge on Tower as a variety, but there is very little to separate them on paper. I would expect them to take a third of the winter barley area between both of them,” he says.

Tetris from Syngenta matches the yield of Tower and Glacier with a high rating of 8 for rhynchosporium, but has a lower specific weight score.

Mr Barker doesn’t see this variety challenging KWS’s big guns at the top of the pile, and seed availability may also be an issue for autumn 2014 plantings.

The same will also apply for Cavalier from Limagrain, with seed stocks limited. It is approved for the northern region despite a lowly 5 score for rhynchosporium.

“Cavalier looks a useful early maturing variety with good yields in the North,” says David Waite of Frontier.

All three winter barley newcomers have resistance to barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV).

Five spring barleys are new to the list but of the four malt brewing types, none is able to better the yield of last year’s new entrant Sanette.

“It’s great to have them, but they don’t offer yield or disease resistance significantly better than Sanette,” says Mr Leaper.

He adds Sanette is the variety to beat and see it as a major variety for the East and South of England, and it is a year ahead of the newcomers in terms of malting trials.

The recommended newcomers will now start two years of tests to be fully approved for malting.

Mr Barker explains that because the new varieties are in their early stages, seed stocks are very low, so growers are likely to stick with the established varieties with approval from the maltsters.

“However, the breeders will be looking for growers that will take the available seed off their hands for certified multiplication,” he adds.

The four new inclusions are KWS varieties Irina and Aurelia, Shaloo from Syngenta and Hacker from French breeder Secobra and distributed by Agrii.

The feed variety Shada from Syngenta was added to the list and tops the yield table some 1% ahead of Sanette, but many see this as not significant.

“There is very little difference to the malting types, so why grow feed barley when you might get a premium with a malting barley, the best of which have a similar gross output,” Mr Leaper says.

The feed spring barley market is largely driven by consistent performance and straw yield, with Westminster and Waggon the two favourites for growers from south-west Scotland to south-west England.

Mr Barker believes that yield alone will result in some interest in Shada, but it may not make a big impact due to its slightly shorter straw and lower grain quality than other leading feed varieties.

“I can’t see it taking more than 1-2% of the market, even if it performs at a similar level at harvest 2014,” he adds.

11 December, 2013