THE FIRST seven winter barley trial returns have shown that yield is coming in at under the five-year average.

Harvest results up to August 1 from trials in Devon, Hereford, North and East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, show the yield average to be 8.79t/ha, quite a bit below the five-year average of 9.30t/ha.

Looking at annual trends, this remains lower than we have seen in 2014 and 2015, but up on 2012 and 2013, though six-row varieties are achieving good yields in early results.

So far, the six-row feed varieties have led the yield table. Six-row hybrids Belfry and Bazooka are top the yield table with 113% of the control varieties, with Volume also performing well at 107%. KWS Meridian remains in trial as a six-row conventional variety control and has performed well at 109%.

New candidate six-row varieties are also achieving good yields, with Sunningdale (six-row hybrid) at 110% and Funky (six-row conventional) at 106%

The two-row feed variety, Surge, is currently top of the two-rows at 105%, while KWS Orwell (the highest yielding two-row on the current RL) is close behind at 104%.

Two-row malting varieties are judged more on their quality than outright yield. Based on current information, Craft has yield 97%, SY Venture 93% and Talisman 92% in 2016.

* Yields are represented as a percentage of the control varieties, which this year are Cassata, Volume, KWS Meridian, SY Venture and KWS Glacier, with this represented as 100%.