UK: Spring barley yields continue to perform above average

Spring barley yields in HGCA Recommended List trials continue to perform above average. Current average yields of the control varieties are 7.89 t/ha, 0.72 t/ha above the five-year average of 7.16, HGCA reported on September 23.

In 2014, the provisionally approved brewing varieties Sanette and KWS Irina top the yield with 109% of the control varieties. The five-year average values provide a better representation of variety performance over a range of seasons, where both varieties achieved a yield of 107% of the control varieties.

The popular brewing variety Propino achieved a five-year average yield of 102%, as did Odyssey which is fully approved for brewing and distilling. The popular brewing and distilling variety Concerto now yields 97%.

The feed variety Shada achieved the best yield over the five years (108%), whilst at the other end of the yields, Westminster, popular in the west due to its tall, stiff straw and good resistance to disease yielded 93%.

Candidate varieties have also performed well, in particular, the potential brewing variety RGT Planet 109% in 2014 (109% five-year average), the potential feed variety Dragoon 109% in 2014 (108% five-year average) and the potential feed variety Scholar 109% (108% in 2014 and the same for the five-year average).

24 September, 2014