15 new varieties added to 2027 BBRO sugar beet list

A total of 15 new varieties have been added to the British Beet Research Organisation’s 2027 Recommended List for sugar beet.

The list has been substantially expanded, with 35 varieties available to growers in 2027 compared with 23 on the 2026 list, along with more varieties with special traits aimed at helping farmers to tackle industry challenges such as virus yellows disease.

See also: Beet moth threat: What farmers can do to mitigate risk

Topping the newcomers is Rotterdam from Strube-RAGT with an adjusted yield of 101.5%, although the British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO) points out that it is unsuitable for early drilling.

Sesvanderhave has introduced eight new varieties. Six are high-yielding conventional varieties (Possom, Partridge, Petrel, Grouse, Curlew and Snipe).

This is alongside Pintail and Mallard, which provide further varieties with tolerance against beet cyst nematode (BCN). Both BCN varieties are suited to early drilling.

KWS brings three new varieties to the market for 2027, with Niksha joining Generosa as a further option with virus yellows tolerance, bringing the total on the 2027 list to eight.

Smart Agneta bolsters the offering of Conviso ALS-inhibitor (acetolactate synthase) herbicide-resistant varieties for 2027.

These varieties are one component of the Convisio Smart system, the other being a specially developed post-emergence herbicide known as Conviso One (foramsulfuron + thiencarbazone).

Smart Attala provides growers with a second Conviso Smart option for those growers who want both BCN tolerance and the herbicide resistance stacked in the same variety.

Finally, Limagrain has introduced three new varieties for 2027.

BTS 7870 will become the company’s first entry for virus yellow tolerance and two new ALS herbicide-resistant varieties: BTS Smart 8565 and BTS Smart 4960.

The full tables are available from the BBRO website.