Despite fewer new varieties added to the latest AHDB Recommended Lists, they include several exciting additions. Gaining approval is the first BYDV-tolerant six-row hybrid winter barley, the first new provisional UKFM Group 1 winter wheat since 2017 and a ‘barn-filling’ Group 3 winter wheat.
The 2024/25 RL also features verticillium stem stripe resistance in oilseed rape for the first time.
BYDB tolerant Buzzard joins barley list
The winter barley list has two new varieties. SY Buzzard is the first six-row hybrid with tolerance to BYDV, which will be of particular interest to growers who want to avoid insecticide use. It also has relatively good resistance to lodging, although it is lower yielding than other six-row hybrids. Two-row feed variety LG Capitol has high treated and untreated yields, with a good disease resistance package.
The spring barley list has six new varieties, all under evaluation for malting by the Malting Barley Committee (MBC): three for brewing only, two for brewing and malt distilling and one for malt distilling only.
Bounty1 is the standout addition for yield. Under test for brewing only, it offers good disease and lodging resistance. NOS Gambit and LG Aquarius, also under test for brewing only, are lower yielding than Bounty, although disease resistance and standing are good. Under test for both brewing and malt distilling are Belter and Olsen which feature treated and untreated yields above the current market leaders. NOS Munro is under test for malt distilling only, achieving high yields in the north region.
While the new additions offer improvements in yield and/or disease resistance, market leaders RGT Planet and Laureate mean new additions may still fail to achieve full MBC approval.
New G1 included in five new wheat varieties
SY Cheer is the first provisional UKFM Group 1 variety since 2017, with its relatively high untreated yield and good resistance to rusts standout features. UKFM is expected to confirm Group 1 classification in March 2024. However, baking quality test results have been good to date, which includes good gluten strength.
The list also features two new recommended UKFM Group 3 varieties. Bamford has very high treated and untreated yields, which match up to the best Group 4 varieties, and good disease resistance and grain quality. With approval for distilling and export, it may attract good interest from growers.
Almara is recommended only for the North region, where it has good treated (based on limited data) and untreated yields. It has approval for export. Its favourable distilling report marked it out as a good variety for this region.
The only new Group 4 soft variety is Blackstone with good disease and lodging resistance and untreated yield. It also received a favourable distilling report and its high specific weight offers reassurance to feed growers.
The only hard Group 4 variety added is LG Beowulf. With consistent high yields across all regions, high untreated yields, resistance to lodging and good grain quality, it adds strength to this already strong group.
The spring wheat list has two new varieties. UKFM Group 2 WPB Mylo is a short variety with good disease resistance. SEW19-3003SW2 is a very high-yielding hard Group 4 variety with good disease resistance and high specific weight.
Winter oilseed rape varieties listed by type rather than region
The winter oilseed rape list features information on verticillium stem stripe resistance for the first time. Varieties are rated as either susceptible, moderately resistant or intermediate. Those rated as moderately resistant are significantly different to those rated as susceptible. However, data is currently limited for most varieties. The need for this disease data was identified in the previous RL review and is the culmination of nearly a decade’s worth of research investment.
Phoma stem canker ratings have been ‘reset’ to correct a drift in the ratings over recent years. As a result, ratings have generally fallen. However, this does not reflect a change in varietal resistance but rather improvements to the rating calculation process.
The three new UK-recommended hybrid varieties – LG Armada, LG Academic and LG Adeline – have high yields and good disease resistance, including resistance to TuYV. They do not currently have a verticillium rating.
Recommended for the East/West region, the hybrid variety Dolphin has a high yield. It has good disease resistance and is one of only seven varieties to be rated as moderately resistant to verticillium.
A new UK-recommended conventional variety Pi Pinnacle has particularly good yields in the East/West region and good light leaf spot resistance. Miraculix CL is a new Clearfield® variety for the North region, where it has relatively high yields.
This list has been reorganised to group the varieties by type in response to feedback during the RL review.
