Overview of the AHDB Recommended List 2016
The AHDB Recommended List for cereals and oilseeds is an annual publication that provides an unbiased and independent assessment of the best performing varieties of wheat, barley, oats, and oilseed rape in the UK. The list is compiled based on comprehensive trials carried out by the AHDB, as well as independent organizations and breeders, and is designed to help growers make informed decisions about which varieties to grow on their farms. The aim is to provide a range of choices that cater to the diverse needs of different farm systems and markets, while also promoting sustainability, profitability, and resilience.
The AHDB Recommended List 2016 was published in December 2015 and included some significant changes compared to previous years. One of the key focuses was on disease resistance, as the industry faced ongoing challenges from new and emerging strains of diseases, such as yellow rust and septoria. Other priorities included yield potential, quality, and end-market suitability.
The list is split into winter and spring varieties for wheat and barley, while oilseed rape and oats are grouped together. Within each category, the varieties are usually ranked according to their yield potential, with the highest yielding varieties at the top. However, other factors such as disease resistance, grain quality, lodging, and maturity, are also considered. The AHDB Recommended List 2016 also included a section on specific traits such as Fusarium resistance and gluten strength.
The AHDB Recommended List 2016 was well received by growers and the industry, as it offered a diverse and robust range of varieties that met the needs of different farm types and locations. It also provided a valuable benchmark for breeders, who could use the information to guide their development of new varieties.
Overall, the AHDB Recommended List 2016 was a comprehensive and informative resource that provided farmers with the knowledge they needed to make smarter decisions about their planting choices. By promoting varieties that were disease-resistant, high-yielding, and market-suitable, the list played an important role in helping to boost the sustainability and profitability of the UK cereals and oilseeds sector.
Top Recommended Varieties for Winter Wheat
Winter wheat is one of the most important cash crops globally, and every planting season, farmers aim to maximize their yields. Since the quality and quantity of wheat produced depend on the seed’s quality, the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) in the United Kingdom conducts research to develop the best winter wheat varieties for farmers to plant. The AHDB Recommended List 2016 highlighted the top recommended winter wheat varieties, which have been tested and proven to provide better yields and higher grain quality.
Skyfall
The Skyfall is a Group 1 all-rounder winter wheat variety, with high yields and superior grain quality both for baking and distilling. In 2016, it was the most widely grown recommended variety, accounting for over 20% of the winter wheat grown in the UK. Skyfall has a high resistance to diseases such as Yellow Rust, Mildew, and Septoria, which makes it a low-input crop that reduces the risk of crop failure. This variety is an excellent choice for farmers looking for a wheat variety that will perform consistently in different growing conditions while providing high-quality grain for both milling and distilling purposes.
Shabras
The Shabras is a soft Group 4 winter wheat variety that offers excellent processing qualities, making it an excellent choice for the baking industry. It has a particular protein quality that improves bread quality significantly, making it the ideal choice for producing premium bread or baked goods. Shabras has a strong agronomic profile, with good resistance to diseases such as Septoria Tritici and Yellow Rust, making it a low-risk crop for farmers. Shabras is an excellent choice for farmers who want to differentiate themselves by providing premium quality wheat to the baking industry, which can pay a premium price for high-quality wheat.
Crusoe
The Crusoe is a hard Group 2 winter wheat variety that offers superior processing and baking qualities while maintaining excellent agronomic characteristics. Crusoe has a high resistance to diseases such as Yellow Rust, Brown Rust, and Septoria, making it a robust and low-input crop. The variety offers farmers an excellent marketing opportunity for premium bread sales in the fast-growing artisan bakery sector. Crusoe’s significant advantages over other varieties include good straw strength, good standing power, and excellent resistance to diseases. Crusoe is especially suited for farmers who want to capitalize on the growth of artisanal bread-making and nature-friendly production practices.
Elation
The Elation is a soft Group 4 winter wheat variety that offers exceptional quality characterizations, including baking, colour, and protein quality. Elation is an ideal choice for premium bread and baked goods production, and it is well-suited for the distilling industry. The variety has excellent agronomic traits, including good disease resistance, strong straw, and good standing power, making it a low-risk crop for farmers. The Elation has a robust agronomic profile, which makes it suitable for planting in diverse environments. It has high resistance to diseases like Mildew and Yellow Rust, which is vital in producing high-quality wheat grain. Elation is an excellent choice for farmers who want to differentiate themselves by providing premium quality wheat to the food industry, including baking and distilling.
Recommended Choices for Winter Barley
Winter barley is an excellent crop to grow in cold climates. The crop typically sown in the autumn months and develops over the winter months, ready for harvesting in the following summer. A good winter barley harvest is essential for getting ahead before the next year. AHDB Recommended List for 2016 provides growers with various recommendations on the best varieties for planting Winter Barley according to the intended end-use. The recommendations are based on the results obtained from various trials for each crop. AHDB group gives comprehensive details and evaluations of more than 30 different winter barley varieties with diverse traits for British farmers to choose from according to their needs. This article will focus on the top three recommended choices for Winter Barley farmers, including how they could maximize their yield potential.
1. KWS Glacier
KWS Glacier is a six-row malting barley. After being tested, it ranked first on the list in terms of grain yield potential, with a yield of 105 percent. This variety is known for its excellent standing power, and it is particularly important in regions with high rainfall and heavy soils. KWS Glacier’s excellent tolerance to diseases like mildew and rhynchosporium allows for better crop management.
2. Shada
Shada is the second variety on the recommended list for winter barley. It is a two-row barley with an outstanding grain yield potential of 107%. It is ideal for heavy, wet soils as it performs well in poor drainage areas. This variety has a Malting value which is crucial to the brewing industry. Shada has a high tolerance to diseases such as rhynchosporium, which causes barley loss to farmers during cropping.
3. Bazooka
Bazooka is the third recommended choice on the list, with an excellent yield of up to 103% more grain yield than other similar varieties. It’s a six-row winter barley with strong resistance to diseases such as rhynchosporium and mildew. These key factors make it an excellent choice for farmers to grow winter barley for optimal yield. One outstanding feature of the Bazooka barley is its excellent standing power. Thus, it can withstand high winds, which are usual during the winter months.
In conclusion, the AHDB Recommended List for 2016 provides farmers with a plethora of options to choose from when selecting the best variety of winter barley to plant on their farms. The list’s recommendations are based on comprehensive research and crop trials, which assures farmers of the quality of the seeds. KWS Glacier, Shada, and Bazooka are among the top recommended varieties for winter barley. They offer excellent yield potentials, strong disease resistance, and can withstand adverse weather conditions. Farmers should select the seed variety that best suits their land type and end-use requirements to achieve optimal yields.
Selecting the Best Options for Winter Oilseed Rape
Winter oilseed rape is a crop that is typically grown in the United Kingdom. It is used for a variety of purposes, including biodiesel and animal feed. Farmers need to consider many factors when choosing which varieties of winter oilseed rape to plant. Here are four key considerations.
Yield Potential
The first thing farmers need to consider when choosing a variety of winter oilseed rape is the yield potential. This refers to the amount of oilseed rape that can be harvested from a given area of land. There are many varieties of winter oilseed rape available, and each one has a different yield potential. Farmers will need to choose a variety that fits their farming practices and goals.
The AHDB Recommended List is a useful resource for farmers looking to compare the yield potential of different varieties. The list has been compiled based on the results of trials conducted across the United Kingdom. Farmers can use the list to identify the varieties that are best suited to their farming practices and location.
Disease Resistance
Another important consideration when choosing a variety of winter oilseed rape is disease resistance. A number of diseases can affect oilseed rape crops, including Phoma stem canker and Light Leaf Spot. These diseases can significantly reduce crop yields, so it is important to choose a variety that is resistant to them.
The AHDB Recommended List includes information on the disease resistance of different varieties of winter oilseed rape. Farmers should select a variety that is resistant to the diseases that are most common in their area.
Oil Content
The oil content of winter oilseed rape is another important consideration. This refers to the amount of oil that can be extracted from the harvested crop. Farmers need to choose a variety that has a high oil content, as this will result in a more valuable crop.
The AHDB Recommended List includes information on the oil content of different varieties of winter oilseed rape. Farmers should select a variety that has a high oil content and is well-suited to their farming practices and location.
Other Agronomic Characteristics
In addition to yield potential, disease resistance, and oil content, farmers should consider other agronomic characteristics when choosing a variety of winter oilseed rape. These include winter hardiness, maturity, and lodging resistance.
The AHDB Recommended List includes information on these and other agronomic characteristics for different varieties of winter oilseed rape. Farmers should select a variety that has the agronomic characteristics that are most important for their farming practices and location.
In conclusion, there are many factors that farmers need to consider when selecting the best options for winter oilseed rape. Utilizing the resources and information available on the AHDB Recommended List can help farmers make informed decisions about which varieties to choose. By carefully considering factors such as yield potential, disease resistance, oil content, and other agronomic characteristics, farmers can select the varieties that will result in the best possible crop yield and quality.
Introduction:
The AHDB Recommended List is an annual guide that provides crucial information to farmers and growers regarding the latest varieties of crops that they can cultivate to increase their yield and profitability. Through extensive research, the list has helped to identify which crops are best suited for the UK climate and soil types, along with their disease resistance and other important characteristics. This article discusses the implications of the 2016 AHDB Recommended List for farmers and processors.
1. Increased Yield:
The 2016 AHDB Recommended List has identified a number of crop varieties that have higher yield potential than those currently cultivated by farmers. By utilizing the recommended varieties, farmers can increase their yield, which can lead to increased profitability. The increase in yield is primarily attributed to the improved genetics of the recommended varieties, which allows them to perform better under normal farming conditions compared to older varieties. As a result, farmers can produce more crops with the same amount of resources. This is especially important given the increasing demand for food globally and the need to sustainably increase production.
2. Better Resistance to Disease:
Disease is a major challenge for farmers as it can severely reduce their crop yield and quality. The 2016 AHDB Recommended List includes crop varieties that have better resistance to common diseases, such as blackleg in oilseed rape and fusarium ear blight in wheat. By cultivating these varieties, farmers can reduce the risk of crop failure due to disease and ultimately increase their profitability. Moreover, better disease resistance reduces the need for excessive use of pesticides and fungicides, which can be expensive and harmful to the environment.
3. Improved Quality:
The 2016 AHDB Recommended List includes crop varieties that have improved quality in terms of taste, appearance, and nutritional content. These qualities are increasingly important to processors, who require high-quality crops to produce their products. In addition, consumers are becoming more health-conscious, and the demand for healthier and more nutritious food is on the rise. By cultivating crop varieties with improved quality, farmers can tap into this demand and market their crops as healthier and tastier options.
4. Enhanced Sustainability:
The 2016 AHDB Recommended List emphasizes crop varieties that require fewer resources, such as water and fertilizers. By cultivating these varieties, farmers can reduce their impact on the environment and improve the sustainability of their farming practices. Moreover, some crop varieties are resistant to biotic stresses such as pests which reduces the need for pesticides and insecticides which further reduces the negative impact of crop production on the environment.
5. Access to New Markets:
The 2016 AHDB Recommended List includes new crop varieties that are suitable for specific niche markets, such as gluten-free wheat varieties or speciality oilseed rape varieties. By cultivating these varieties, farmers can access new markets that they may not have previously been able to. This provides an opportunity for farmers to differentiate themselves from their competitors and increase their profitability. Moreover, by accessing new markets and diversifying their crop portfolio, farmers can reduce their risk of crop failure.
Conclusion:
The 2016 AHDB Recommended List provides important information to farmers and processors that can have significant implications for their businesses. By utilizing the recommended crop varieties, farmers can improve their yield, disease resistance, quality, and sustainability, and tap into new markets. Given the increasing demand for food globally and the need to produce it sustainably, the AHDB Recommended List is a valuable tool for farmers and processors alike, enabling them to stay competitive and profitable in today’s market.
