Wheat yields are close to the five-year average, according to the first harvest results from AHDB variety trials, with Group 4 hard wheats being the top performers.

The average yield for the first three Recommended List sites covering Suffolk and Essex is 10.57t/ha, close to the five-year average of 10.59t/ha. The specific weights on the Essex site average 78.6kg/hl.

See also: Harvest 2016: Milling wheats near finish in South, lots to cut further North

Group 4 hard feed varieties are giving the highest outright yields, with Evolution top of the table at 106%, and Santiago, Belgrade and Silverstone all yielding 105%.

Candidate feed varieties are also performing well, with Paddington (a hard wheat) and soft feed varieties Bennington and Stratosphere all yielding 106%.

However, winter barley continues to be down on the five-year average at 8.99t/ha, which is 0.36t/ha below the five-year average.

Specific weights from seven trials average just 65.4kg/hl, while screenings through a 2.5 mm sieve are running high at an average of 20%.