Bamford has emerged as an important addition to the UK soft wheat sector, according to experts. With only five new varieties recommended for the upcoming season growers have an increased choice on the Recommended List (RL).
Mike Thornton, UK head of crop production at Procam, is a big fan of the new Bamford variety. He said: “With a treated yield of 106%, it’s 6% ahead of the next best Group three soft, and with an untreated yield of 92%, it has the second highest untreated yield on the entire winter wheat RL regardless of classification”.
Talking about the new variety from independent breeder Elsoms Seeds, he said:
“I recall Bamford’s specific weight being over 78kg/hl in that first trial. Its 92% untreated score is a compelling figure on any variety’s CV.”
Jim Knightbraid, seed business development manager for Frontier Agriculture, said: “After a period of stagnation in Group three biscuit-making varieties, Frontier were on the lookout for a new variety to rejuvenate the sector and bridge the yield gap between hard and soft wheat varieties.
“Bamford has always looked a good, clean crop in Frontier trials and was the highest-yielding variety in our harvest 2023 untreated trials across five Frontier replicated trials sites.
He added: “Bamford has the potential to revitalise the Group three sector and I believe it signals a landmark change for the UK soft wheat sector.”
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