WHEAT GROWERS have been urged to come to Cereals 2004 to find out about new varieties and what they have to offer.

Disease resistance, individual strengths and how to maximise profits from the newcomers will be the focus of several stands at the event.

Millers will join Cereals Evaluation Limited staff carrying out half hour tours of the Recommended List plots on the Home-Grown Cereals Authority stand.

“It gives growers the opportunity to hear both the miller‘s view of a particular variety along with how they have performed in RL trials,” said CEL Lists manager Jim McVittie.

“We ran it for the first time last year and it proved very popular.”

Marked differences in how varieties such as Robigus and Nijinsky stand up to septoria are now beginning to show in the Arable Event plots.

Twelve wheat varieties – a mixture of new with some older benchmarks – are on show, each demonstrated with and without full foliar disease control and growth regulator programmes.

“Choice of variety is even more important now with strobilurin resistance coming in,” said Velcourt trials manager James Alford.

A free tonne of treated new wheat seed is up for grabs on the Dalgety Masstock stand.

One variety that holds a lot of promise for UK growers is Cordiale, according to Mike Jeffes, who has seen how it performs in trials at Dalgety‘s Throws Farm.

“With a bombproof Hagberg and specific weight, it‘s a really tidy group 2 variety,” he said.

• FWi‘s Cereals 2004 show special has more on what these exhibitors will be promoting at Cereals.

The page includes the latest news from the site and previews of product launches due to take place.

Details of what‘s on and how to book your ticket on-line are a click away, along with the latest on the FARMERS WEEKLY War on Red Tape campaign.