Why milling wheat could be about to get a shake-up

KWS Zyatt has been the highest yielding Group 1 wheat for many years for good reason but there are now KWS newcomers on the horizon that could take things an important stage further.

Kirsty Richards © KWS

KWS Zyatt has earned its reputation as the Group 1 to beat since its AHDB RL debut in 2017, but it could be about to have some serious challengers, says KWS conventional crop product manager Dr. Kirsty Richards. 

With a relative shortage of new varieties entering Group 1 in recent years, KWS Zyatt has consolidated its position as an outstanding second wheat with an excellent physical grain package supported by tried and tested results from the UK baking industry, she says. 

“It’s been shown to deliver a wide range of good quality end use products in an industry that uses some five million tonnes of wheat to produce over four million tonnes of flour every year. 

“Approximately 60% of this is used for bread making with around 5.5% of the total flour produced exported annually, so any grower close to a flour mill or port should definitely have KWS Zyatt shortlisted for drilling this year.” 

Yields are still 1-2% ahead of the next best Group 1 milling wheat, she points out, and in the AHDB east and west regions, where over 80% of Group 1 plantings are found, it delivers consistently high yields. 

“KWS Zyatt is the highest yielding Group 1 on the RL combined with a great specific weight of 78.3 kg/hl and a HFN of 248 plus it’s a great performer in the second wheat slot, where 60% of milling wheats are grown.” 

New potential bread-making additions

Set to create the first real shake-up of Group 1 for several years, new potential bread-making AHDB candidate listed KWS Vibe and KWS Beste, are about to offer milling growers much needed diversity, Kirsty Richards believes. 

“KWS Vibe, a candidate listed potential bread-maker¹ promises one of the best combinations of yield, disease resistance and grain quality, offering a real gross margin opportunity for professional milling wheat growers in all regions of the UK. 

“Yields ahead of Skyfall and Crusoe and a higher HFN and specific weight than Skyfall and KWS Zyatt, combined with short stiff plant type and a high score for eyespot, make it a real winner with early drilling potential too.” 

KWS Beste is a candidate listed potential bread-maker from KWS’ quality-led breeding programme in Germany, from where wheat is routinely imported to the UK to add ‘strength’ to bread products, provides growers with another exciting potential breadmaking option, she says. 

“KWS Beste produces excellent grain quality including 13% plus protein, high HFN and specific weights and yields ahead of Crusoe and RGT Illustrious.” 

UK Group 2 continues to evolve

After five years at the top of Group 2, KWS Extase remains one of the best choices for UK wheat growers, regardless of end market, Kirsty Richards believes. 

Still offering the highest untreated yield on the RL at 93% of controls, it delivers the most complete package in terms of disease resistance, grain quality and consistency, she says. 

“KWS Extase meets the needs of domestic millers and is approved for export, which together mean it is possibly the most exciting variety to be recommended in recent years. 

“It’s not just UK millers who are seeing the benefits of including KWS Extase in their breadmaking grists with the variety effortlessly meeting the high W, low P/L requirements of overseas buyers purchasing UKP bread wheats.” 

KWS Palladium is also an increasingly popular choice for millers, with Warburton contracts now available for the variety in 2024, she adds. 

“It’s become a firm favourite of UK millers and bakers alike being a super clean variety with one of the highest untreated yields on the market today, thanks to its scores of 7.3 for Septoria, 8 for mildew, 9 for yellow rust and 6 for eyespot. 

“Importantly, its Septoria resistance has a different genetic basis than other commercialised Group 2s plus it has good yield potential across all the regions and performs well in both the first and second wheat slots. 

“Suited to earlier drilling than KWS Extase, KWS Palladium and KWS Extase make good on-farm partners for growers targeting the Group 2 market sector or adding quality grain to the feed heap.” 

“KWS Extase remains one of the best choices for UK wheat growers, regardless of end market.

Another step forward

Group 2 could be about to evolve once more with no less than three new potential bread-making KWS varieties sitting on the current candidate list, Kirsty Richards points out. 

“KWS Newbie is a potential bread-making wheat with superb grain characteristics and impressive all round potential. This is particularly the case in the north where it achieves a yield 105% of controls, outcompeting many current feed favourites.” 

KWS Arnie is another potential AHDB candidate variety, offering UK yields 3% above those of KWS Extase, she adds. 

“KWS Arnie has achieved exceptional performances in the UK’s main wheat growing regions plus it’s got an impressive set of disease resistance scores including a 7.1 for Septoria along with better yellow rust and eyespot scores than KWS Extase. 

“Fans of KWS Extase will probably find themselves drawn to new KWS Equipe, too. An exciting candidate, that is also a potential bread making variety. It’s another French-bred variety with a high yield, performing especially well in the west thanks to its excellent disease package including a 7.1 for Septoria. 

“With an untreated yield 95% treated controls, KWS Equipe is a very resilient wheat which takes untreated yield a further 2% ahead of the benchmark set by KWS Extase. 

“In Group 3, KWS Solitaire is a potential biscuit making candidate that hits all the bases, with biscuit, export and distilling potential lining up alongside sheer outright yield. 

“It’s got excellent yield potential across all regions, particularly in the west, plus it’s got a good agronomic package with exceptional yellow rust resistance, all contributing to an untreated yield of 92%.”

1 KWS Vibe is not yet National Listed and does not constitute an offer of sale.