Fickle farmers, simpler rotations, too much straw, low specific weights, as well as its relatively poor performance last season are all reasons being put forward for a significant drop in the plantings of last year’s leading winter wheat variety Robigus.

But growers needed to look further than last year’s indifferent performance, its breeder suggested.

One thing was clear – growers had cut back markedly, Grainfarmers’ seed director Tim Hirst said. “Plantings are 15-16% this year compared with 21-22% at this time last year.

“Farmers are fickle folk – it is still a good wheat.”

Growers had been disappointed with Robigus last season in a year that didn’t really suit the variety, he admitted. “It is a smaller grained-variety, and later maturing, and last year’s extreme conditions didn’t really suit it. We didn’t get the grain fill we’d expect.”

The variety’s Recommended List performance would appear to back that view – it has dropped behind both Deben and Zebedee for Group 3 yields, but growers needed to delve behind the headline figures, rather than write it off after one indifferent year, according to breeder’s CPB Twyford.

“Take out all second wheat sites and Robigus has a first wheat yield performance of 105% – equalled only by Zebedee and beaten by no other,” said the firm’s Lee Bennett.

“All varieties have their strengths and weaknesses, and I accept there may be one or two holes in its armour, but what we need is a variety package and Robigus still has a lot to offer over its rivals,” he said.

But Herts-based Strutt & Parker agronomist Will Gemmill confirmed his clients had moved away from Robigus this season. “We’re probably growing just 25% of the what we had this time last year.”

Growers looking to cut down fixed costs by reducing the numbers of varieties they were growing was one reason, he said.

“Too much straw is also a big issue for growers with rotary combines with large areas to cut. It slows down output.”

Other issues growers were concerned with were low specific weights and disease resistance breakdown, particularly mildew, he suggested.

But the variety hadn’t done badly last year, he stressed. “It is a combination of factors that are contributing to its decline this year.”

Mr Hirst believed growers were making a knee-jerk reaction in discarding Robigus. “I’m sure there are situations where it hasn’t performed two years in a row, but I just wonder how many have followed the Twyford blueprint for growing the variety.”

Alchemy had been the big winner at the expense of Robigus, he noted. “Alchemy has taken around 21% share so far. I think part of the shift has been disenchantment with premiums. Now grain prices have gone up growers have reverted to type and gone back to barn-filling varieties.”