Spring barley is the surprise performer in the latest AHDB harvest results, yielding 0.44t/ha above the five-year mean while winter wheat remains close to the average.

The latest harvest results include the first eight sites for spring barley plus a further 11 sites for winter wheat.

Spring barley maps: Check out the top performing varieties in your region

Control varieties are looking buoyant with an average yield of 8.14t/ha, which is above the five-year average of 7.70t/ha. This easily makes spring barley the best-performing crop in 2016.

The highest yields were seen at the Herefordshire site, with an average of 9.10t/ha.

Looking at varieties, Origin (106%) is having a good year, while the fully approved brewing variety RGT Planet has yielded 105%. Laureate (provisionally approved for brewing and distilling) has also achieved 105%.

Wheat

The additional 11 sites nudge the average up to 10.77t/ha, which remains close to the five-year mean of 10.63t/ha.

Belgrade now tops the list at 106%, pushing Graham into equal second place with Crispin on 105%. They are followed by Dickens, Evolution, Silverstone and Reflection, all averaging 103%.

Wheat maps: Check out the top performing varieties in your region

AHDB also published untreated yield data for three sites, highlighting the potential value of disease resistance.

The data shows that Reflection, which is susceptible to yellow rust, averaged just 3.2t/ha.

However, Graham, which was first added to the Recommended List last December, held up well with an average yield of 8.52t/ha.

It has good resistance to both Septoria tritici and yellow rust with ratings of 8 and 7, respectively.