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Know How / Wheat / Variety selection

There are plenty of options when it comes to choosing which variety to grow, with markets favouring some and others having a strong regional or rotational reputation. Now with greater focus on their agronomic characteristics, find out which varieties are performing well and proving their worth, whatever their intended end use - milling or feed.

Case studies

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WHEAT

No-insecticide wheat yields over 10t/ha for Norfolk grower

Norfolk grower Will More is planning a second season of drilling a virus-resistant wheat variety with environmental and financial benefits, while also producing a good yield at harvest 2023. Using…

VARIETY SELECTION

Soft feed wheat newcomer looks promising for the North

New soft-milling feed wheat variety Zealum is attracting interest from growers and merchants, especially in Scotland, as it shows better disease resistance and stiffer straw than old favourites Barrell and…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Wheat fungicide choices as costs rise in wet septoria season

Winter wheat growers are likely to spend up to £30/ha extra or more on fungicides this season due to the very wet May weather, which has created a “perfect storm”…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Norfolk estate assesses risks in move to no-insecticides

An estate near the north Norfolk coast is farming with no insecticides across nearly two-thirds of its land, and is hoping for flexibility to qualify for payments under new environmental…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How a free test is keeping a wheat grower on top of disease

Edward Vipond is using a free DNA test on his winter wheat crops to give him an early warning of septoria and yellow rust diseases developing, and to make sure…

WHEAT

How a world champion keeps his wheat free of disease

Variety choice and knowing its weaknesses is the starting point to keeping winter wheat crops clean of disease and was behind Tim Lamyman’s success in breaking the world wheat yield…

Practical advice

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VARIETY SELECTION

Insecticide-free wheat set for drilling this autumn

An insecticide-free winter wheat variety will be ready for growers to drill this autumn, with the hard-milling feed wheat Grouse hoping to attract interest from those not wanting to spray…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How to adapt management to specific winter wheat varieties

As new varieties arrive to the market, crops are planted over a wide drilling window and disease pressure evolves, tailoring winter wheat management to specific variety needs can help farmers…

WHEAT

How to choose the best winter wheat variety for sustainability

Five winter wheat varieties – Skyfall, Palladium, Astronomer, Tapestry and Typhoon – have been declared top for sustainability across the five established wheat groups. The agronomy group Agrii has rated…

VARIETY SELECTION

Insecticide-free wheat varieties set for drilling autumn 2023

Insecticide-free winter wheat varieties are set to be available for growers to drill in autumn 2023, as one plant breeder has developed the first wheat varieties with resistance to the…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2022: Options to manage wheat disease in dry springs

Wheat growers need to consider alternative disease control methods to cope with drought-stressed crops in the spring - such as inter-cropping, variety blends and grazing in the early part of…

WHEAT

Warm wet weather signals tricky time for wheat

Disease control in winter wheat is set to be particularly tricky this season as the dry and cold early spring weather, which has held back the spread of disease, moves…

Insights

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ARABLE

Seed sales show heavy reliance on a limited number of varieties

After a testing season and difficult harvest, growers are sticking to a narrow range of varieties for the new cropping year. Farmers Weekly finds out what’s filling the drills. See…

HARVEST

Harvest 2023: The 5 top-yielding winter wheat varieties map

Throughout the harvest season, we are updating our handy map with the latest data from 2023’s AHDB wheat Recommended List harvest results. Use the map below to find the five…

VARIETY SELECTION

Why it may be time to drop susceptible winter wheat varieties

Winter wheat varieties that are susceptible to disease need not feature in cropping plans for harvest 2024, except where growers are targeting the Group 1 breadmaking sector, according to crop…

WHEAT

New soft wheat looks good for biscuits and distilling

New biscuitmaking winter wheat variety Bamford has good support from two seed merchants from the Scottish Borders and Kent for its yield, strong disease resistance ratings and potential good marketability.…

VARIETY SELECTION

Wheat variety choices to help reduce risk this autumn

Five expert agronomists across the UK have recommended low-risk, consistent performers, alongside eye-catching newcomers, when choosing winter wheat varieties for harvest 2024.  Fertiliser prices have crashed to the lowest level…

VARIETY SELECTION

Spring additions extend quality wheat options for growers

Last year saw the addition of two Group 1 spring wheats to the AHDB Recommended List for 2022-23, while the very latest list for 2023-24 has seen another one join…

CROP MANAGEMENT

AHDB variety trials reveal wheat pest and true cost of clubroot

The AHDB Recommended List trials generate a lot of additional data that isn’t in the variety lists, and the latest batch of numbers reveal the cost of clubroot disease in…

VARIETY SELECTION

Europe’s first gene-edited wheat trials see breakthrough

Preliminary results from Europe’s first field trials of gene-edited (GE) wheat have indicated there’s no yield or other agronomic penalty from the precision-breeding technique. This means that precise edits can…

VARIETY SELECTION

Harvest 2022: Light levels lifted yields despite drought

Despite record-breaking summer temperatures and a lack of rain, winter wheat yields recorded from harvest 2022 were higher than many had anticipated. Crops made the most of the good growing…

Online resources from AHDB

AHDB Recommended List 2023-24 Winter wheat

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AHDB Recommended List 2023-24 Winter barley

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AHDB Recommended List 2023 Spring barley

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AHDB Recommended List 2023-24 Winter oilseed rape

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