Milling wheat growers have the first new variety in seven years to choose from this autumn, as the newly recommended Cheer gains full Group 1 milling status.

Last December, Cheer joined the 2024-25 AHDB winter wheat Recommended List (RL) provisionally as a Group 1 breadmaking variety, subject to further breadmaking tests.

Approval was originally expected back in spring, but was delayed as further testing was required by millers. However, the variety has now been confirmed as a full Group 1 variety by UK Flour Millers.

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Matthew Bull, seeds technical manager for the variety’s breeder, Syngenta, points to its consistent yields across the country and having no major weaknesses to the common foliar wheat diseases.

The Group 1 sector is in desperate need of new varieties, with three of the five varieties on the list having weaknesses against rusts. Crusoe only scores 3 on the current list for brown rust and Zyatt and Skyfall 3 for yellow rust. 

Cheer brings disease resistance ratings of 7.4 against yellow rust and 6.0 against Septoria tritici on the AHDB RL, and 5.5 against brown rust.

“This balanced foliar disease-resistance profile underpins its high and stable yields; it has the highest untreated yield figure among Group 1 varieties on the current AHDB winter wheat RL,” says Matthew.

Milling quality

Looking at its quality data, the AHDB RL figure of 13% protein matches the threshold often required by millers.

And its other quality characteristics on the independent AHDB RL, of 299 Hagberg and 79.5 kg/hl specific weight, far exceed the other typical requirements of 250 Hagberg and 76 kg/hl.

Syngenta seeds portfolio marketing manager, Kathryn Hamlen, says the combination of quality, yield and disease resistance makes Cheer a potential breakthrough variety for growers.

“Over recent years the percentage of the UK wheat area planted with Group 1 varieties has dropped,” says Kathryn, “yet demand for Group 1 breadmaking wheat remains high.”

She believes Cheer could reinvigorate the Group 1 market to help stabilise domestic production.