The new AHDB spring barley 2025-26 Recommended List has five new varieties and, for the first time this year, includes disease resistance ratings for net blotch.

Of the five additions, four are under evaluation for brewing and malt distilling by the Malting Barley Committee (MBC) and the fifth is a feed variety.

All four malting varieties offer improvements in yield and/or disease resistance compared with the current market leaders, Planet and Laureate.

Arrow (from Syngenta) offers high treated yields across all regions (104%). Firecracker (from Agrii) offers high treated yield, especially in the West region (106%), and high untreated yield (93%).

See also: Video: Classic machinery brings in the spring barley harvest

Ptarmigan (from Agrii) and Enduris from KWS have slightly lower treated yields, but have high untreated yields (90% and 91%, respectively). Ptarmigan is earlier than most varieties on the list, which will attract growers in the North.

However, the AHDB highlights that the market is tough to break into, and they may still fail to achieve full MBC approval.

In the feed category, 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 with a yield of 104%, which matches Hurler, the only other feed variety on the list.

Looking at the new net blotch ratings, scores range from 5 to 8 for current varieties. Those with the weakest ratings are Planet, Sassy and newcomer Enduris, with 5s, while market leader Laureate along with newcomer Arrow and described specialist variety CB Score have the highest ratings of 8.

Other spring crops

Husked spring oat variety Caledon, from Saaten Union, is the only new addition for oats this year. It offers very high treated (105%) and untreated yields (98%) combined with good grain quality.

The spring wheat list has four new varieties including a new Group 1 from Agrovista, STRU102574k021511 is joint top at 101%. It offers high Hagbergs and specific weights, and good grain proteins. Another quality wheat is the Group 2 Bezique from KWS.

The other two additions are Group 4 feed varieties: WPB Fraser from Limagrain and Ophelia from Elsoms.