Winter barley yields for the AHDB Recommended List trials are above average, despite crops having to endure little rainfall and a heatwave in recent weeks.

Control varieties at eight sites ranging from the Scottish Borders to Glamorgan and East Anglia are averaging 10.11t/ha, ahead of the five-year mean of 9.9t/ha.

AHDB highlights that late-June soil moisture deficits were the highest recorded (going back to 1961) and it was the hottest June (going back to 1910).

Looking at varieties, Belmont is the highest-yielding six-row hybrid at 110% of the control varieties, followed by Belfry (106%) and Sunningdale (108%).

Leading the two-row feed varieties is Tower at 105% followed by Surge (102%) and Orwell.