Ireland: 12 spring barley varieties added to this year’s recommended list from the Department of Agriculture
The spring barley varieties recommended list from the Department of Agriculture has entered record territory this year, with a massive 12 varieties making the cut, the Irish Farmer Journal reported on January 10.
This is a sign of great investment by the seed industry to find varieties suited to Ireland.
Spring barley is expected to take up over 120,000ha of the tillage area this year.
There is great choice among those varieties and it is important for all growers to examine the list carefully and find what best suits your system.
Two of these varieties – Hurler and Lollipop – are completely new to the list and are provisionally recommended, while others are classics such as Planet and Gangway, which have been on the list since 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Hurler and Lollipop both have a relative yield of 106, the highest on the list, although Spinner and Skyway are just behind with 105 and Geraldine and LG Mermaid are on 104.
Lollipop hits the high notes on quality as well, with a thousand grain weight (TGW) of 61. SY Amity if the nearest to it at 57.3, followed by Gretchen at 57.1 and Hurler at 56.4.
Hectolitre weight or KPH is an important thing to look at. All varieties score well here.
Gangway has always proved high on this and this year is no different at 69.8. LG Mermaid, Rockway and Skyway all score 69.
Screenings are low across the board, but Rockway and SY Amity are the lowest at 0.9 and 0.8 respectively.
Grain proteins are high in the varieties for those looking at barley for malting. All are above the requirements for distilling. Gretchen has the highest protein content at 10.6 and Hurler has the lowest at 10.0.
The data provided by the Department of Agriculture is based on trial results from 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The seed areas sown in 2024 for the 2025 season give an indication of what percentage of what varieties will be available for seed in 2025.
Geraldine took up 21% of this area, followed by Florence and LG Mermaid at 14% of the area each, RGT Planet and SY Amity take up 10% of the area each.
Gretchen takes up 6% of the seed area and Hurler and Spinner take up 5% of the area each. Skyway and Rockway take up 3% and 2% of the area. Lollipop is at 2% of the area.
It should be noted that there is seed available for varieties that have not been recommended yet, as they may be entering seed production. There may also be seed for varieties that have been removed from the list.
Laureate was on the malting barley list in 2024, but not on the main spring barley list. The Department’s trials are rigorous and aim to provide growers with the best varieties possible, so if a variety is taken off the list, it is worth considering a different variety to grow.
Some growers may be told what variety to grow for malting, but should try to get a variety as suitable to their system as possible to ensure a crop with the best yield and quality possible.
10 January, 2025
