IF A crop of Hyvido hybrid barley doesn't yield halt-a-tonne more per ha than conventional varieties, then its breeder, Syngenta, will offer a cashback deal.

Now in its fourth year, Syngenta's yield guarantee for 2017 for its Hyvido hybrid is aimed at giving UK growers confidence in the ability of the hybrid to deliver top yields, said Mark Bullen, the seeds and seedcare campaign manager for Syngenta.

Broadly, if Hyvido doesn’t yield at least 0.5 t/ha more than conventional varieties on independently-monitored reference fields, growers stand to receive a pay-out for their eligible registered Hyvido crops.

Mr Bullen said: "I’d urge farmers who are growing Hyvido to visit the website for the full details and terms and conditions and where they can also register to take part. The guarantee uses reference fields to measure the yield of Hyvido because it simply wouldn’t be possible to monitor yields on every field of individual growers.

“This is the fourth season the Hyvido cashback yield guarantee has been run. It has been very popular with growers over the years, and Hyvido hybrid barley now accounts for about a quarter of the UK’s winter barley area.

“In addition to its high yield, its resilience to different growing environments, together with its competitive growth against black-grass, due to its hybrid vigour, also make Hyvido an attractive crop to grow,” Mr Bullen added.

* Details of how the guarantee works are available at www.syngenta.co.uk/cbyg