Place in market for two winter barley additions

Serious contenders. That’s the verdict on the two new winter barley varieties with malting potential, SY Venture and Archer, from the seed trade.

“They both offer a good yield advantage,” says David Waite of Frontier Agriculture. “If they come through the evaluation process with the brewers, they will be a good step on from existing choices.”

He believes there is a place in the market for both of them. “SY Venture has the higher yield of the two, but they both have the lodging resistance that’s needed.”

Lee Bennett, national seeds and technical manager, Openfield favours Syngenta’s SY Venture of the two and sees it as an obvious replacement for Flagon.

“The problem for growers is that they get onto the list too quickly. The system needs synchronising, so that the initial quality tests are done before they are recommended.”

Barry Barker, Masstock’s national arable seed product manager, agrees. “We need to know about the maltsters verdict. Cassata has gone down very well, so its Flagon and Pearl which will lose out if they do turn out to have the desired quality.”

NIAB TAG’s Clare Leaman of adds that both varieties have good straw characteristics, something which has been lacking in malting varieties to date. “And they both have mosaic virus resistance. So they’re bringing more than a yield boost.”

If you had to find a weakness, it would be net blotch, she sums up.

The new six-row feed variety, KWS Meridian, gets a more mixed response. While all agree that its yield of 110% shows that conventionals can challenge the hybrids, there’s some disquiet about its specific weight.

“It has a lower specific weight than last year’s addition, Escadre, so you have to ask whether it’s a backwards step,” says Mr Bennett.

“What’s more, the six-row market has moved to hybrids in the main,” he notes.

Mrs Leaman has a similar view. “Escadre has the yield and the specific weight, so it’s not an obvious choice. On the plus side, KWS Meridian does have good disease resistance.”

But Mr Barker sees it as an alternative choice for people who want a high yielding six-row variety. “There isn’t enough hybrid barley seed to go round, so it will appeal in the north and Scotland.”

Mr Waite agrees. “The seed situation with the hybrids leaves the door open for others. There’s a place for KWS Meridian, where the grain is to be used on the farm.”

Longer term, he sees hybrids as the future. “There’s so much interest in them at the moment.”

Spring barley

Three new recommendations, all from Limagrain and all for brewing and malt distilling, have made the spring barley list.

Odyssey, Chronicle and Overture, with yields of 108%, 106% and 105%, respectively, are in the running and it’s now up to the industry to decide which to take forward.

“They’re all in an identical situation,” says Mr Waite. “We’ll just have to watch and wait for the outcome of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling decision next year.”

Whatever happens, the market can’t go wrong with Odyssey, says Mr Bennett. “With that yield, it can be used for feed. It’s an each way bet.”

He adds that the market is behind Propino this year. “It will only change if the maltsters declare that they prefer one of these new three.”

Mr Barker believes that Overture is the most interesting of the newcomers. “It appears to have the best quality. Chronicle is stiffer and Odyssey has the highest yield, so they can be differentiated.”

• Read more from the HGCA Recommended List.