Soft wheats with export potential could play a greater role in the future as the distilling market contracts, David Cranstoun, SAC's variety expert told Scottish growers at the first Cereals in Practice event near Dundee.
"With Diageo closing their major wheat distillery at Port Dundas together with what they are intending to do with a bottling plant, it looks like the whisky industry is in for a period of retrenchment," he said.
Around half of the Scottish wheat production was used for distilling, he pointed out. "I don't want to be alarmist, but it is important that growers check carefully now what their merchant will be wanting in 2010/11."
If the distilling market did contract it would likely mean growers would have to look to export surplus wheat, he believed. "It will still probably be soft wheat, but it needs to have an export market. That changes the dimension a little bit."
Of the two new soft wheats - both of which failed to make Nabim Group 3 status - Cassius, which distillers liked, had limited export potential because of its low specific weight and Hagberg, he said.
Viscount did have export potential, but a number of negatives had emerged in the past year. "A year ago I was saying this was a fantastic variety with yields 4% above Alchemy and Robigus. I still say it is very promising, but it was a shock it was made a Group 4, which means there isn't quite the flexibility in markets."
There had also been reports of a new race of yellow rust infecting it, although he saw that as only a slight problem. "It is not doing a Slepjner - it's manageable."
More worryingly for Scottish growers was its low sprouting rating. "That scares me more than the other two." Other soft wheats also had sprouting problems, he pointed out. "But Viscount is among the worst - it is a four on the HGCA list.
"With the threat of dodgy harvest weather in Scotland, I wouldn't have a huge area that needed combining all at the same time."
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