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Know How / Variety selection

There are many factors to consider when selecting the right crop variety. Find out which varieties are performing well and proving their worth for the intended market, whether wheat for milling or feed, barley for malting or oilseed rape for specialist uses. With disease resistance becoming ever-important with a declining amoury of pesticides, see how new varieties can help.

Case studies

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DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Farmer trials disease strategies in wheat variety Extase

Three different fungicide programmes are being tested on Britain's only commercial crop of a breakthrough wheat variety in Bedfordshire this season, which takes septoria resistance to a new level. Farms manager…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Farmer uses own field trial to find optimum nitrogen rate

Thomas Todd is using his own field trials on his farm to give him the optimum nitrogen fertiliser rate for his malting spring barley and the best septoria disease control…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How wheat growers can cut their fungicide costs this spring

Winter wheat growers could cut their fungicide spend this spring if they are growing varieties with good disease resistance that were drilled in late autumn. The dry winter has held…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Dorset farmer's plans to strike early septoria in wheat crop

Wheat’s most damaging disease, septoria, is appearing in the wetter West this season, prompting one Dorset cereal grower to prepare to strike early to keep the infection under control. Mild…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Sussex grower switches wheat variety to trim fungicide spend

Sussex grower Will Hecks is planning to trim his early fungicide spend on his winter wheat this season after switching to more disease-resistant varieties. Picking varieties such as Zyatt and…

BARLEY

How Norfolk farm grows malting barley for well-known brewer

Growing malting barley for a nearby brewery can make sense as it secures a fixed market and premium price rather than having to rely on the uncertainties of the open…

Practical advice

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VARIETY SELECTION

Expert picks his top OSR varieties for this summer

With nine new winter oilseed rape varieties on this year’s AHDB Recommended List, growers have 26 different varieties to choose from when drilling the 2019-20 crop this summer. Three of…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Advice for wheat growers on disease control at T2 stage

Wheat growers should resist the urge to cut back dramatically on their key flag leaf fungicides later this month despite dry weather which has led to generally low disease levels.…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How to save up to £50/ha on your wheat fungicide programme

Wheat growers could be saving up to £50/ha on fungicide costs by using the latest more disease-resistant varieties coupled with late drilling in the autumn. Choosing varieties such as Graham,…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Why wheat variety data is vital for right fungicide strategy

Knowing a wheat variety’s weakness is essential when considering fungicide strategy, especially as some popular varieties are proving to be noticeably weaker against rusts than their AHDB Recommended List ratings…

PULSES

Why prospects are looking up for peas and beans in 2019

Pulse growers are set to benefit from four useful additions to the Recommended List – two of which are spring beans that increase the performance of pigs and poultry when…

DRILLING

Which wheat varieties to consider for late drilling

Cereal growers looking for wheat varieties most suited to later drilling dates should opt for those that are more vigorous, with good tillering ability and a rapid speed of development.…

Insights

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VARIETY SELECTION

How OSR growers will benefit from genome-wide breeding

The adoption of genome-wide selection by a major oilseed rape breeder could see a trebling in the yearly genetic gain in yields, along with new designer varieties. Over the past…

VARIETY SELECTION

What the new TuYV-resistant varieties mean for OSR yields

Two new varieties on the Recommended List this year offer growers the opportunity to protect their crops from the turnip yellows virus while also achieving top yields. When the first…

VARIETY SELECTION

How Clearfield varieties can tackle erucic acid in OSR

Rapeseed exceeding erucic acid limits continues to be a problem for crushers, resulting in farmers facing deductions or even rejections of loads. Erucic acid is a naturally occurring fatty acid…

PEST MANAGEMENT

How resistant varieties can tackle potato cyst nematode

Potato growers battling potato cyst nematode (PCN) problems are set to benefit from significant breeding efforts into producing fresh varieties resistant to the key nematode species Globodera pallida. Some promising varieties…

VARIETY SELECTION

Two big winners in wheat varieties battle this autumn

Two winter wheat varieties – Zyatt and Graham – are set to be the big winners this autumn, as growers have turned to these two for high yields alongside good…

VARIETY SELECTION

Cereal varieties: Winners and losers at harvest 2018

During the 2018 cereal harvest, wheat varieties were more likely to perform slightly below their long-term averages than to exceed yield expectations.  That’s why most of the 2018 results shouldn’t…

VARIETY SELECTION

Three potato varieties show more tolerance to nematodes

Newer potato varieties such as Royal, Lanorma and Iodea are showing useful levels of resistance to the spud industry’s biggest pest problem, potato cyst nematode (PCN). Graham Tomalin, agronomist at…

HARVEST

Harvest 2018: The 5 top-yielding winter barley varieties

Throughout the harvest season we are updating our handy map with the latest data from 2018’s AHDB winter barley Recommended List harvest results. Use the map below to find the…

OILSEED RAPE

Rapeseed needs a price hike to prompt a bigger area

Rapeseed prices will need to tick higher to encourage a bigger oilseed rape crop to be drilled this summer as growers watch their crops struggling in the current wet weather.…

Online resources from AHDB

AHDB Recommended List 2019/20 Winter wheat

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AHDB Recommended List 2019/20 Winter barley

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AHDB Recommended List 2019/20 Spring barley

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AHDB Recommended List 2019/20 Winter oilseed rape

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