Releases Archive 2007

Varieties were grown under two management regimes. The first regime was a fungicide and plant growth regulator programme designed to keep disease levels below 5% to obtain the full genetic potential of the varieties. The second regime was without fungicide and plant growth regulator to assess resistance to disease and straw damage.

Trials were located at three sites, Crossnacreevy, Limavady and Downpatrick. Some exceptional yields were harvested this year with the yield of control varieties at Limavady standing at 11.3 tonnes per hectare - the highest of all 26 winter wheat trials in the HGCA trialling system. Control yields at Crossnacreevy and Downpatrick were 10.6 and 8.2 tonnes per hectare, respectively. Of the 32 varieties in trial, the performances of Robigus, Alchemy, Oakley, Sahara and Hereford were the most noteworthy and are discussed in more detail below.

Alchemy, in its first year as a provisionally recommended variety, achieved excellent yields. Its treated yield across all trials was 105% of treated controls and it achieved a very impressive untreated yield of 86% of treated controls, only equalled by that of Hereford, a year one candidate. The treated yield of Robigus was also an impressive 105% of treated controls, although its untreated yield has fallen some 7% when compared with the 2002-2006 over-years mean of 77%. Gatsby and Zebedee both gave disappointing performances compared with last year’s over-years means, with treated yields of only 100%, down 6 and 5%, respectively. Glasgow, in its second year as a provisional recommendation and therefore eligible for promotion to full recommendation, yielded 5% lower than last year in both treated and untreated regimes, 99 and 69%, respectively. Claire performed well this year with yields 1% up on the 2002-2006 over-years mean, 101% when fungicide treated and 71% without fungicide applications. Richmond and Einstein both gave disappointing treated yields, 97 and 95%, respectively.

Table 1: Average yield of varieties in AFBI variety trials, 2007 - Recommended varieties

G = Fully recommended; P = Provisionally recommended

Three candidate varieties stand out this year. The first, Oakley, is a year two candidate which gave a treated yield of 110% of treated controls and produced the highest individual yield of 12.1 tonnes per hectare at the Crossnacreevy trial, although its untreated yield is a little low (75% of treated controls). Sahara is also a year two candidate that gave excellent treated yields, 106% of treated controls. Hereford is a year one candidate and achieved 108% of treated controls in treated trials and an excellent untreated yield of 86%. It was the highest yielding variety at the Limavady and Downpatrick trials achieving 11.9 and 9.3 tonnes per hectare, respectively. Of the other 11 candidate varieties, only two, JB Diego and Benzine, produced yields of 100% or more of the treated controls, with 102 and 100%, respectively.

Table 2: Average yield of varieties in AFBI variety trials, 2007 - Candidate varieties

Y1 = year 1 candidate; Y2 = year 2 candidate

Of the recommended varieties, Robigus and Alchemy gave good performances. Alchemy is in its second year as a provisionally recommended variety and is therefore eligible for promotion to full recommendation in 2008. Of the year two candidates, Oakley looks the most likely to be included on the new Recommended List as a provisional recommendation, with Sahara a possibility. There were 9 year one candidates in the 2007 winter wheat trials and of these, only Hereford has made an impression. This variety is susceptible to brown rust, but may be well suited as a second wheat in cooler Northern regions of the British Isles, including Northern Ireland.

Recommended List booklets are available from your local DARD Development Office, by contacting the Plant Testing Station at Crossnacreevy on 02890 548000.
Recommended List booklets are also available for download from the website http://www.afbini.gov.uk.

Part of the data used in this report is from the HGCA Recommended List Database that can be consulted at http://www.hgca.com. Further information on varieties of winter wheat and other crops can be obtained from AFBI Crossnacreevy and the Crops Development Division at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE, Greenmount Campus).