British-based plant breeder Elsoms has high expectations for two of its new feed winter wheat varieties coming up for recommendation later this year due to their high yields, good septoria resistance and potential for distilling.

The family-owned breeder based in Spalding, Lincolnshire, is hopeful that Sparkler and Heartwood will make the AHDB Recommended List (RL) at the end of this year.

This is following on the success the group has seen with its Group 3 biscuit-making variety Bamford.

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Elsoms Heartwood winter wheat variety © David Jones

Elsoms head of agriculture Toby Reich says both these candidate varieties for the RL have not seen any impact from a new race of yellow rust which has overcome the key Yr15 resistance gene.

“Sparkler is likely to outyield the market leader for Group 4 wheats, and has the highest septoria rating of the candidate varieties,” he told Farmers Weekly at the Cereals event at Heath Farm, Leadenham, near Lincoln.

In addition, the variety has shown a “step change in distilling yields”, so could be a very useful variety to be grown north of the border for the distilling industry.

The variety is +1 for maturity, similar to Bamford, meaning it is one day later to mature than control variety Skyfall.

The second candidate variety, Heartwood, is earlier to mature at -1, but shows a slightly lower yield than Sparkler.

“Both Sparkler and Heartwood have been clean of yellow rust this season,” says Toby.

He says the Elsoms site at Spalding is helping with breeding wheat varieties with good disease resistance and stiff straw.

The area can be a hot bed for disease, especially yellow rust, and the fertile soil means stiff straw is essential.