Goldcrop to focus on BYDV tolerance in trials
Only Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) tolerant varieties of winter barley will be included in future Goldcrop trial programmes.
The company is also looking at the potential to assess tolerant varieties of winter wheat, with one already under scrutiny and submitted for initial assessment by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
These issues were discussed at the Goldcrop open evening held at the company’s trials site, near Dunleer in Co Louth on Monday (June 8).
Significantly, the company is currently assessing BYDV tolerant varieties of barley courtesy of genetics sourced from both the UK and mainland Europe.
Goldcrop agronomist, John Dunne, commented: “BYDV tolerance is the future.
"Yes, tolerant varieties will show symptoms of the disease. And we have seen this over recent months.
"But the varieties in question are bred not to suffer to the same extent as those that do not have the tolerance capability.
“I have seen BYDV kill off varieties of barley and wheat that have no tolerance to the disease."
According to Dunne, tolerance to BYDV is a delivered by a combination of two factors: major genes and minor genes, called quantitative trait loci.
He added: "It is also a reality that some BYDV tolerant varieties are more tolerant than others.
"But our autumns are becoming milder, which heightens the threat levels posed by BYDV.”
French plant breeders were the first to commit to the commercial development of BYDV tolerant winter barleys.
And this is why the first options coming to market were all six-row varieties: reflecting the French commitment to this type of cereal production.
“Historically, the UK plant breeder, KWS, was to the fore in developing extremely high performing winter barley varieties," Dunne explained.
“The company was that little bit slower in bringing BYDV tolerant varieties to market.
“However, this scenario has changed with KWS now bringing a selection of BYDV tolerant options forward with excellent production potential.”
The Goldcrop agronomist highlighted the French-bred winter barley variety, Integral as one that performs well under Irish conditions - it is a six-row option.
The variety yields well, has BYDV tolerance, is very suited to a mid-September drilling date and grows well on both light and heavy soils.
Meanwhile a two-row winter barley worthy of note is Organa
New to the market, it has BYDV tolerance but also shows excellent levels of resistance to a number of weather diseases, including rhyncosporium and ramularia.
