THIS year’s crop plots at Cereals revealed an intense focus not only on high yielding varieties but on crops that will allow farmers, in tough economic times, to maximize output whilst reducing their costs of production.

The event hosted new varieties that combine generous yields with agronomic characteristics that offer resilience and flexibility.

The three ‘Rs’ of ‘risk, resilience and reward’ will be at the heart of the AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds exhibit and their ever popular Recommended List plot tours will now cover over 150 variety plots of wheat, barley, oilseed rape and a new daily oats tour.

AHDB’s Dr Grantley-Smith said: “With incentives for growers to diversify rotations, the oats tour and exhibit will help clarify the opportunity to grow for the oats market as part of a resilient arable business.”

Limagrain

A range of new winter wheat, oilseed rape and spring barleys that are not costly to grow, but also offer the opportunity to earn a premium, are the highlight of Limagrain’s stand.

Very high yielding soft feed winter wheats, LG Sundance and LG Motown, are aimed at the distilling and soft UK’s export markets. LG Motown, has consistently yielded 104.3% over control, whilst LG Sundance has a very good ‘7’ rating for the yield robbing disease septoria tritici.

The company’s oilseed rape breeding programme is responsible for Archimedes which offers early plant vigour and good autumn development as well as a very good disease resistance profile including clubroot resistance, a 6 for light leaf spot and an impressive 8 for stem canker (Rlm7 resistance).

For spring barley, LG Opera is a ‘triple use’ variety under test by the IBD for brewing and also for both the malt and grain distilling.

Elsoms

Strength in depth is evident at Elsoms with four AHDB candidate wheats – Bennington, Moulton, Freiston and Dunston – lining up alongside Belgrade, the recommended early maturing, high yielding (106%) group 4 hard feed wheat.

Newly recommended OSR Elgar tops the East/West Recommended list with the highest gross output (111%). An impressive disease resistance and agronomic package includes the earliest maturity of conventional varieties.

For spring barley, it has Acorn, which has malting potential and excellent disease resistance, whilst oat varieties Harmony and Yukon combine high yields with good quality.

RAGT

RAGT is showing three breakthrough varieties, focusing on new and robust genetics to meet the needs of both farmers and end-users.

Milling wheat, RGT Illustrious, has a treated yield of 100% and consistent baking performance, combined with excellent disease resistance and strong standing ability.

RGT Knightsbridge is a high yielding, high alcohol soft Group 4-type wheat. Topping distillers’ tests over the past two years, it also achieved a score of 107% of controls for the UK, and 106% for the north.

RGT Planet is the highest-yielding (108%) spring barley ahead of any other malting or feed variety on the RL and is in the process of IBD evaluation, having already been approved in France and Ireland.

NIAB TAG

NIAB TAG will have variety demonstration plots alongside the latest independent arable advice focusing on future developments and the role of technology, including remote sensing techniques.

Its Simon Kightley will advise on 15 winter oilseed rape varieties, linseed, peas and beans and Clare Leaman will be offering insight into winter wheat variety choices for 2016 with 30 established and new varieties on display.

NIAB TAG will also be helping growers to understand and tackle their blackgrass problems and offering advice on cover cropping strategies using phacelia, oats and vetch, crimson clover, medick and radish plots.

Senova

The variety Senova expects to receive most interest at Cereals is Costello, a new Group 4 hard feed wheat.

A high yielding winter wheat with excellent grain quality (highest specific weight of 80.4kg/hl, a Hagberg of 313 and a grain protein of 11.5%) combined with a strong agronomic package.

One of the highest yielding candidate winter wheats, the hard feed variety, Marlowe, with a yield of 107, has orange wheat blossom midge resistance to add to its disease resistance ratings.

Bayer

Bayer will be displaying two new varieties in the oilseed rape plots, promoting the difference that an oil bonus can make to crop profitability – as much as £142/ha.

InVigor 1030 (InV1030), a candidate for the 2017/18 AHDB Recommended List, has good yield, extremely high oil content and the best combination of disease resistance to both phoma and light leaf spot.

Also available for planting in autumn 2016 is InVigor 1020 (InV1020), which has a similar agronomic profile to Harper, but improved standing power and the highest oil content available.

KWS

KWS will unveil four new varieties spanning three crop types, each with grain quality attributes at Cereals.

New varieties include milling and feed wheat, malting barley and oats, and combine higher yields with strong all-round disease packages – all four are in Recommended List trials.

KWS Zyatt is a potential Group 1 milling wheat with a yield of 105% of controls, 8% ahead of the current control, Crusoe, and on a par with high-yielding feed wheat KWS Santiago.

Unusually for a Group 1, it maintains yield without sacrificing protein which, at 12.1%, is on par with established variety, Gallant.

KWS Kerrin is a feed wheat with outstanding yield., that has been consistent across contrasting seasons over the past two years, outperforming KWS Santiago in 24 of sites.

This KWS Santiago cross, has better yield performance and disease resistance, wit a good yellow rust score, OWBM resistance and is a medium height variety with strong straw and maturity similar to other Group 4s.

KWS Funky is a six-row winter barley with all-round disease resistance, especially to rhynchosporium and brown rust.

A yield of 105% of controls places it just 1% behind the leading hybrid, Volume and 2% ahead of the leading conventional, KWS Meridian. It is the same maturity to Volume and is a day earlier than KWS Meridian, featuring the highest specific weight of any six-row winter barley at 69.3 kg/hl.

It was the highest yielding non-hybrid six-row in NL trials in 2015 and the third-highest six-row overall.

WPB Elyann is a spring oat that is getting interest from millers for its grain quality, backed by a yield of 8.44t/ha (103% of controls) and exceptional kernel content. It is the only variety on RL trials with a score above 80% and is two days earlier to mature than Firth and Canyon.