AHDB's new Recommended Lists (RL) delivers exciting mainstream and niche varieties

Date:12-04-2024

AHDB has launched the online edition of the Recommended Lists for cereals and oilseeds (RL) 2025/26.

The latest edition of the variety guidance for farmers includes several eye-catching additions that will have wide appeal, as well as new varieties that target regional and niche situations.

For the second year running, a new UKFM Group 1 variety has been added to the winter wheat recommended list. The inclusion of two new high-yielding UKFM Group 3 winter wheat varieties may help reverse the fortunes of this market segment.

Most new additions to the winter oilseed rape list have regional recommendations, which reflect the greater regional variation in performance in this crop (compared with cereals). 

Following feedback from the latest RL review, the lists also continue to adapt to help the cereals and oilseeds sectors cope with uncertainty. It includes several changes to the recommendation processes, such as the introduction of new target specifications for diseases across all crops and increased importance for untreated yield.

The new lists also see a big influx of varieties with a specific recommendation for resistance or tolerance to Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), including five new winter barley varieties and one new winter wheat variety with this characteristic.

The spring barley list includes disease resistance ratings for net blotch for the first time.

Paul Gosling, who manages the RL at AHDB, said:

"Farmers want robust varieties that help de-risk their businesses. Breeders work hard to deliver new varieties to satisfy this demand.

"When coupled with the changes to the recommendation processes, the lists now feature varieties that deliver more diverse and stronger genetics. It is no longer about dirty, barn-filling varieties dominating the lists: it is about providing choice that meets the needs of the RL’s diverse users."

Winter wheat list

The winter wheat list has 10 new varieties, which cover key milling sectors and provide strong steps forward, in most cases.

UKFM Group 1

After waiting several years for a new UKFM Group 1 variety, two arrive in two years.

This year, KWS Vibe¹ has been listed as a provisional Group 1 variety. Its status will be confirmed in the spring by UKFM after completing its analysis of commercial quantities of harvest 2024 grain samples.

In small-scale testing over the last three years, it has shown good grain and baking quality, with good protein levels recorded. Although not as high yielding in fungicide-treated trials as KWS Zyatt, its good disease resistance package and high untreated yield (89%) will be attractive to Group 1 growers.

UKFM Group 2

UKFM Group 2 sees five new additions, with various strengths and weaknesses to suit different situations.

KWS Arnie has a very high treated yield, especially in the East and West regions, and good disease resistance.

Although KWS Equipe is slightly lower yielding in treated trials, it has very good grain quality and its untreated yield is the highest on the list. As both varieties show some limitations in baking quality, growers should speak to grain merchants about market opportunities before growing these. KWS Newbie is very high yielding in the North region with good grain quality.

While LG Shergar also has a very high yield in the North region and a high specific weight, its protein is a little lower. The final Group 2 addition is RGT Goldfinch (from RAGT). Although it recorded relatively low yields, it offers a very robust disease resistance package, including BYDV resistance. It also shows good baking quality and has orange wheat blossom midge resistance. It is likely to appeal to many growers, especially those interested in lower-input systems.

UKFM Group 3

Last year, the arrival of Bamford helped UKFM Group 3 start to address several years of declining market share. The inclusion of two new UKFM Group 3 varieties on the latest list adds further strength to this group.

KWS Solitaire is high yielding in both treated and untreated trials. Although it has a slightly lower Hagberg Falling Number, it did not prevent the UKFM Group 3 designation and it has been rated as good for distilling. It is relatively weak-strawed and will require careful management.

KWS Flute also has high treated yield with good grain quality. It is rated as medium for distilling, but its untreated yield is a little disappointing.

Group 4

Only two new feed varieties have been recommended this year.

RGT Hexton is a soft Group 4 with very high treated yield, especially in the North region (although this result is based on a small number of trials). It is rated medium for distilling and has good resistance to septoria tritici, although its untreated yield is lower.

KWS Scope is a hard Group 4 with very high yield, especially in the West region. Its grain quality and disease resistance are good. 

Spring wheat list

The spring wheat list has four new varieties: 

• UKFM Group 1 STRU102574k021511 (STR Pace)² from Agrovista

• UKFM Group 2 KWS Bezique

• Group 4 WPB Fraser from Limagrain

• Group 4 Ophelia from Elsoms

Note: Although the name STR Pace has yet to be confirmed by APHA, it has been added to the GB and NI Variety Lists (VL). 

Winter barley list

The winter barley list sees more varieties added than in a typical year, many with a regional recommendation and/or a specific recommendation for BYDV tolerance or resistance.

Two-row feed

The UK recommendations include the new two-row feed varieties KWS Valencis, NOS Olena and Kitty.

KWS Valencis and NOS Olena (from Senova) offer very high yields with good disease resistance.

Although Kitty is slightly lower yielding, it joins the one other variety on the list with resistance to Barley yellow mosaic virus strain 2 (BaYMV2). It also has a very high specific weight (72.7 kg/hl). The variety will not appeal to everyone, but it provides very valuable traits, which we know some growers really like.

Russo (from Agrii), KWS Heracalis and Rosemary (from Elsoms) and SU Arion (from Saaten Union) have all been given regional recommendations. For the East, Russo has very high treated and high untreated yields. For the North, KWS Heraclis and Rosemary offer very high treated and high untreated yields.

SU Arion has been recommended for the North and East regions, with the yield in the East region particularly high. Its high mildew disease rating will appeal to some growers.

Six-row feed

Over recent years, the yield gap between six-row hybrids and two-row feed varieties has closed. However, two new six-row hybrid varieties for the UK have stretched that gap once more.

Inys (from KWS) is very high yielding, especially in the East and West regions, with a high untreated yield.

SY Quantock (from Syngenta) offers very high yield in the North and West regions with a high untreated yield.

Both have good lodging resistance and grain quality.

BYDV tolerance or resistance

Five new varieties offer specific recommendations for tolerance or resistance to BYDV, a novel trait added to the RL in the last few years. With improved yields and disease resistance over the initial BYDV varieties, these are likely to appeal to more growers.

The new list includes two-row feed varieties with BYDV tolerance for the first time. Organa (from Senova) has a UK recommendation and offers high treated yields, especially in the East, and good disease resistance. LG Carpenter (from Limagrain) has an East and a West recommendation, with high treated yield in these regions and the highest untreated yield of any two-row on the list.

Three new six-row feed varieties feature BYDV tolerance or resistance. Conventional variety Integral (from Agrii) offers high treated yield, especially in the East and West regions, with high untreated yield. Sixy (from Elsoms) is slightly lower yielding in the East and West regions, but higher yielding in the North region, although its untreated yield is disappointing.

Hybrid variety SY Kestrel (from Syngenta) offers BYDV resistance (rather than tolerance) and has tolerance to wheat dwarf virus. It is very high yielding in the West region.

Spring barley list

The spring barley list has five new varieties: four under evaluation for brewing and malt distilling by the Malting Barley Committee (MBC) and one feed variety. It also includes disease resistance ratings for net blotch for the first time.

SY Arrow (from Syngenta) offers high treated yields across all regions. Firecracker (from Agrii) offers high treated yield, especially in the West region and high untreated yield. Ptarmigan (from Agrii) and KWS Enduris have slightly lower treated yields but have high untreated yields. Ptarmigan is earlier than most varieties on the list, which will attract growers in the North.

These new additions offer improvements in yield and/or disease resistance compared with the current market leaders (RGT Planet and Laureate). However, the market is tough to break into and they may still fail to achieve full MBC approval. Growers should ensure they have a market before committing to such varieties.

NOS Gambit was originally recommended last year as a malting variety but dropped out of the MBC testing process. It has been reassessed and added back onto the list as a feed variety.

Oats lists

The spring oat variety Caledon (from Saten union) is the only new variety added to the lists for oats this year. It offers very high treated and untreated yields combined with good grain quality. 

Winter oilseed rape list

Most new additions to the winter oilseed rape list have regional recommendations, which reflect the greater regional variation in performance in this crop. As the divisions between regions are not absolute, growers should consider which region is best for their conditions.

Just one new non-specialist hybrid variety has been recommended for the UK: LG Adapt1. It has very high treated yields across all regions with robust disease resistance. 

The UK list also includes two new varieties with a specific recommendation for resistance to the common strains of clubroot: Crusoe (from NPZU) and Cromputer (from DSV). These offer significant advances in pest and disease resistance over the current varieties, with Crusoe also offering higher yield in all regions. With milder and wetter autumns, several RL trials have been lost due to clubroot in recent years. The disease appears to be getting more prevalent, so these varieties are likely to interest growers.

For the East/West region, three new non-specialist hybrid varieties have been recommended. Maverick (from NPZU) is very high yielding. It also has good disease resistance, including a rating of 9 for stem canker, but it lacks pod shatter resistance. Hinsta (from KWS) and Magelan1 (from Limagrain) are slightly lower yielding. Apart from lower stem canker resistance (rating of 5), these two varieties have good pest and disease resistance.  

For the North region, which includes the whole of Scotland and northern England, there are two new recommendations. LG Avenger1 is a non-specialist hybrid with a very high yield and good light leaf spot resistance. Powerhouse is a new conventional variety (from Elsoms) with the highest conventional yield in the North region. Like other conventional varieties, it lacks some of the traits found in hybrids. However, its yield result, good light leaf spot resistance rating (7) and the flexibility to home-save seed will attract growers.

The booklet edition will be available in January.

¹ LG Adapt, LG Avenger, Magelan and KWS Vibe may be added to the VL in January 2025, provided no representations are received.

² STRU102574k021511 has been added to the VL with the proposed name of ‘STR Pace’. Approval of the name will be confirmed in spring 2025, provided no representations are received.

See the online RL 2025/26 tables