The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has published its spring cereal recommended lists for 2023.
Wheat, barley and oat varieties are included.
Where wheat is concerned, KWS Helium is recommended. It is a high yielding, moderately later-maturing variety.
Helium is also moderately resistant to lodging and shows good resistance to mildew.
It is moderately susceptible to both septoria and yellow rust while showing good resistance to sprouting. Helium is noted for its very good grain quality.
The other recommended wheat variety is WPB Duncan. Again, this is a high yielding, moderately later-maturing variety.
Duncan is moderately susceptible to lodging. It has shown good resistance to mildew and very good resistance to yellow rust. The variety is moderately resistant to septoria. Grain quality is good.
The two provisionally recommended wheat varieties are: KWS Fixum and WPB Escape.
Other spring cereal varieties – oats
Two spring oat varieties feature on the recommended lists.
Husky, now an old favourite, is a very early maturing, high-yielding option with moderate resistance to lodging.
It is moderately susceptible to straw breakdown and mildew. Grain quality is very good, however, Husky is very susceptible to crown rust.
The second recommended variety is WPB Isabel. This is high-yielding variety, demonstrating good resistance to lodging and very good resistance to straw breakdown.
Isabel is moderately susceptible to mildew and crown rust. Grain quality is excellent.
Barley
Six spring barley varieties have been recommended for the 2023 season.
Gangway is moderately later-maturing variety, with moderate resistance to lodging. It demonstrates good resistance to straw breakdown plus good resistance to mildew and net blotch.
The variety is moderately resistant to brown rust and moderately susceptible to rhynchosporium. Grain quality is excellent, according to the DAFM.
Geraldine is very high-yielding, moderately early-maturing variety. It demonstrates good resistance to lodging and moderate resistance to straw breakdown.
Geraldine has very good resistance to mildew and net blotch, good resistance to rhynchosporium and is moderately resistant to brown rust.
RGT Planet is a high-yielding, moderately later-maturing variety. It is moderately susceptible to lodging and susceptible to straw breakdown.
The variety shows very good resistance to mildew. Planet is moderately susceptible to rhynchosporium and brown rust. It is susceptible to net blotch.
Skyway has a very high yield potential. It is moderately susceptible to lodging and susceptible to straw breakdown.
It is a moderately later-maturing variety with very good resistance to mildew and good resistance to rhynchosporium. It is moderately resistant to brown rust and net blotch.
SY Amity has a very high yield potential. It is moderately susceptible to lodging and susceptible to straw breakdown.
Amity is a moderately later-maturing variety. It demonstrates very good resistance to mildew and good resistance to rhynchosporium. The variety is moderately resistant to brown rust and net blotch.
SY Errigal is a high-yielding, moderately later-maturing variety. It shows good resistance to lodging and moderate resistance to straw breakdown.
Errigal has very good resistance to mildew and net blotch. It also demonstrates good resistance to brown rust. The variety is moderately susceptible to rhynchosporium.
There are two provisionally recommended varieties Gretchen and Rockway.