The information on cereal varieties presented on this website gives the Northern Ireland cereal grower a comprehensive guide to varieties best suited for use within the province. It is based on results of trials carried out by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and AFBI over the last five years as part of the Home Grown Cereal Authority (HGCA) Recommended List trialling system. The DARD Recommended List booklet complements and expands on information provided on varieties included in the HGCA Recommended Lists.
Spring barley and spring oat varieties are considered for provisional recommendation after two years of National List testing and one year of Recommended List testing. They generally remain provisionally recommended for two years before being eligible for recommendation for general use. Thus, every spring variety is tested for at least five years before considering it for full general recommendation.
Winter barley, winter wheat and winter oat varieties are in Recommended List trials for two years prior to being provisionally recommended. They too remain provisionally recommended for two years before being eligible for full recommendation. Thus, every winter variety is tested for at least four years before considering it for full general recommendation.
Provisionally recommended varieties are reviewed each year. If after their first year of provisional recommendation they are considered unsuitable, they are removed from the list. If they remain provisionally recommended for two or more years before being found unsuitable, they are usually placed in the outclassed category for a year before removing them from the list. If seed of any variety, regardless of category, becomes unavailable it is removed directly from the list.
This booklet is a local publication and directs growers towards varieties of greatest value to Northern Ireland, including only those HGCA recommended varieties most suitable for use in Northern Ireland. Spring barley and oat trials conducted in Northern Ireland also include some varieties from the Republic of Ireland that may be suited to Northern Ireland. The same consideration is given to these varieties, for local use, as those that pass through the UK system.
Several UK listed varieties are excluded from the tables because they are less suitable for use in Northern Ireland. A brief description of these varieties is given in the text.
Varieties are classified as follows:
G Varieties fully recommended for general use
S Varieties fully recommended for special use; clarification of which is given in the notes
P Varieties provisionally recommended and of which seed may be in short supply
PS Varieties which are provisionally recommended for special use; clarification of which is given in the notes. Seed of these varieties may be in short supply
O Varieties becoming outclassed
Trial Sites
Trials are conducted on varieties of all crops at AFBI, Crossnacreevy with further trials of the major crops in the main cereal growing regions of Northern Ireland. At Downpatrick there were additional winter wheat and winter barley trials, with two further winter barley trials at Hillsborough and Limavady. Additional spring barley trials are conducted at Strabane and Coleraine.
