New potential bread wheat offers extra yield
There are eight new wheats making their debut on the 2014-15 HGCA Recommended List and two of these are attracting interest from the trade, including a potential breadmaker offering feed wheat yields.
Skyfall, the provisional new Group 1 milling wheat from RAGT, and Evolution, a hard Group 4 feed wheat from Limagrain UK, have market share to compete for and are expected to feature in 2014 cropping plans.
The remainder, which fall into all of the five market sectors, have some good attributes, but will find it more difficult to have an immediate effect, predict seed experts.
Clare Leaman of NIAB TAG believes Skyfall’s yield of 102%, which is 4% higher than Crusoe, is what many growers have been waiting for.
“It’s very good news,” she says. “Skyfall outyields the existing choices by some way and is the first winter Group 1 variety with resistance to orange wheat blossom midge.”
Skyfall’s disease resistance ratings aren’t quite as good as Crusoe’s, but it still has a strong disease package with no obvious weaknesses, she adds.
“A grain protein of 11.8% is the only score on the low side, but it’s not a deal-breaker.”
When compared with Crusoe, Skyfall shows improvement in Hagberg, specific weight and earliness as well, points out Bill Handley of HGCA. “It is also stiff-strawed.”
One observation in trials is that Skyfall develops very quickly, especially when sown early – something growers should be aware of, he adds.
Barry Barker of Agrii expects seed to sell out. “Of the current milling varieties, Crusoe currently has about 5% market share and Solstice and Gallant have about 3.5% each. Whatever Skyfall seed availability there is, it will go quickly.”
Russell Frost of Nidera is of the same view. “This is a difficult arena to enter, so Skyfall is the single most interesting new variety. Everyone is going to want to try it, so it’s bound to be in short supply.”
A change in the way Group 1 wheats are tested means Skyfall is the first quality variety to join the Recommended List with a provisional rating.
Commercial testing of 120t of the variety will now be undertaken by two millers, with the results being made available in March next year.
If the variety performs as expected, it will be given full approved status at this stage.
“The idea is to raise confidence in new varieties, both from millers and growers, and to encourage their early adoption,” explains Martin Savage of Nabim.
David Waite of Frontier Agriculture believes Skyfall is a dead cert. “It will be strengthened by the fact it is undergoing further commercial testing and it’s good to see the industry working together in this scheme, for the benefit of all.”
Of the two new Group 2 winter wheats to make their debut, Cubanita from Syngenta becomes the highest yielding at 102%, while KWS Cashel has been given a specific recommendation for its gluten strength and joins the list with a yield of 97%.
A specific advantage is required in Group 2, says Nidera’s Russell Frost. “And they’re up against Cordiale, which is earlier to harvest and always gets a decent premium.”
Neither of the newcomers have obvious market share to compete for, points out Mr Waite. “Unless they have something particular that the millers want, they aren’t going to sell in huge quantities.”
But Bill Handley of HGCA says there is support from millers for Cubanita, while KWS Cashel has consistently strong gluten quality – a characteristic that can’t always be found in UK wheat and often has to be imported.
He adds that Cubanita’s disease resistance has no particular highs or lows, except for brown rust, while KWS Cashel has an impressive set of resistance figures, including 9s for mildew, yellow and brown rust.
The two new soft biscuit Group 3s, Zulu from Limagrain and Icon from RAGT, don’t take yields on in this sector, coming in with 102%, just below Cocoon and equal to KWS Croft and Delphi. While Zulu is acceptable for distilling and provisionally approved for export, Icon gets a good rating for distilling and will have to be blended for export.
Both have good disease resistance figures, but only Zulu has orange wheat blossom midge resistance.
“This has become a tricky market sector,” cautions Mrs Leaman. “You won’t go far wrong with either of them, but they don’t offer that jump up in yield that perhaps growers are looking for.”
Mr Waite agrees. “They’re solid, but don’t bring anything more to the table. Many growers might look at last year’s Monterey and Delphi before they consider these two.”
Mr Frost points out that they both have UK recommendations, giving them an advantage over some of the current choices. “They stand well, have good market acceptability and are pretty good for disease, so they deserve to do well.”
The soft Group 4 category has been boosted by two new varieties, both of which have regional recommendations and orange wheat blossom midge resistance. Panacea from Limagrain takes the top place for soft wheat yields, at 106%, while Twister from KWS joins Leeds with a yield of 105%.
Panacea has a North and East/West recommendation and is suitable for distilling. Its low Hagberg of 139 hasn’t given sprouting issues in trials so far, confirms Mr Handley, but it is fairly weak-strawed with a 5 for lodging without PGR.
“It closes the gap with the hard feed types, but it won’t be for everyone,” says Mrs Leaman. “A yellow rust score of 4 means it’s probably not the best partner for some feed varieties.”
Twister has a North recommendation and is rated medium for distilling. Described by commentators as similar to Leeds, but with better mildew resistance, it has the same maturity score as Leeds. “And Leeds is the variety that they will have to beat,” remarks Mr Frost.
The only hard feed variety to be recommended, Evolution from Limagrain, sits between KWS Kielder and KWS Santiago on the list with a yield of 107%.
Evolution will be up against two benchmark varieties – JB Diego and KWS Santiago – which currently account for 14% and 10% market share, respectively, says Mr Barker.
“About 60% of the market is in hard feed wheat,” he says. “Growers will be pleased to have another one to consider, but they won’t move on lightly.”
Mr Frost expects some movement, especially from growers in the main wheat-producing areas, who will like its combination of yield and disease resistance.
Mrs Leaman sees Evolution as a really useful addition, especially as it has a better disease resistance profile than other popular hard feed varieties. “None of its scores are below a 6.”
However, the trade-off is that it hasn’t got orange wheat blossom midge resistance, says Mr Waite. “You get stiffer straw and better disease instead. People are bound to try it, alongside their current favourites.”
Spring wheat
One new variety joins the spring wheat Recommended List, but is only suitable for spring sowing.
KWS Kilburn is a feed variety with a yield of 108%, making it the top-performing Group 4 spring wheat by 2%. It has good disease resistance, especially to brown rust.
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