Last week, AgriLand took a look at some of the Department of Agriculture’s variety trials to see how old and new are performing and what interesting varieties are coming down the tracks.
The wheat in the plots in Kildalton Agricultural College was planted on October 22, 2019. Crops in Kildalton were coping well having received significantly more rain than many parts of the country, while also benefiting from low disease pressure.
Among the plots are some varieties that stood out to AgriLand included RGT Saki and Chevignon.
The image below shows a plot of untreated Graham winter wheat. Graham will take up 46% of the seed availability in the 2020/2021 season and may help readers to put some of the other varieties in perspective.
Untreated Graham winter wheat in Department of Agriculture trials at Kildalton Agricultural College
SY Insitor
SY Insitor will take up 1% of the seed next season and has had a relative yield rating of 104 and 105 in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Untreated SY Insitor in Department of Agriculture trials at Kildalton Agricultural College
Chevignon
Chevignon really stood out and while there will not be any seed available next season it is one to watch coming down the tracks.
Its large leaves show promise and the variety is reported to have consistent yields and to mature relatively early.
Untreated Chevignon in Department of Agriculture trials at Kildalton Agricultural College
LG Skyscraper
LG Skyscraper has been a popular variety in the UK, but may not perform as well under Irish conditions. However, it did have relative yield values of 104 and 103 in 2018 and 2019 respectively. As the name suggests, Skyscraper is visibly taller than other varieties in the field.
Untreated LG Skyscraper in Department of Agriculture trials at Kildalton Agricultural College
JB Diego
To put things back into perspective, here’s an untreated plot of an old and reliable variety, JB Diego.
Untreated JB Diego in Department of Agriculture trials in Kildalton Agricultural College
Seed availability
The seed availability for winter wheat varieties for the 2020/2021 season are outlined below.
Graham – 46%;
Costello – 25%;
Bennington – 13%;
KWS Conros – 4%;
RGT Saki – 3%;
JB Diego – 3%;
Torp – 2%;
LGWU143 – 2%;
SY Insitor – 1%;
LG Illuminate – 1%.