How yellow rust threat is reshaping wheat choices for 2026

It has been a tough year for some wheat varieties so harvest performance will be key, agree seed and variety experts.

There is growing acceptance that most varieties come with some element of yellow rust risk, and while the disease can be kept out of crops if treated from the start of the season, the new race is more aggressive and makes control more difficult to achieve.

Even in a year that has provided plenty of spray days, it has not been plain sailing. “If we’d had a wet spring, we could have been in a very different position,” warns John Miles, seed technical manager at Agrii.

See also: Cereals 2026: Hybrid wheats offer higher yields and consistency

That is a view shared by Ted Williams, arable seed manager and agronomist at Agrovista, who highlights that more than half of the wheat being grown this year has the Yr15 gene in it, which was overcome last year and is ineffective against the latest strain of yellow rust.

“This rust strain will be endemic while the variety make-up remains as it is. Growers should mix them up and bring in varieties with better yellow rust resistance to manage the situation.”

Varietal diversification is good practice, says Ted. “It’s not new, but it has been overlooked recently. And if you’re growing Group 2, Group 3 or Group 4 varieties, it’s something you should be doing.”

That may mean growing varieties that are not on the AHDB Recommended List but still have plenty to offer, he adds.

“This new race of yellow rust is right across the country now and it’s more virulent.”

Group 1

The Group 1 category of breadmaking wheat varieties is in a better place than the other groups, with three new choices coming along in the past three years and helping to minimise risk.

The only cloud on the horizon is the cost of production, as growers try to balance yields and premiums against the risk involved with milling wheat in the current economic climate.

Arlington from DSV is this year’s newcomer, having received full Group 1 approval earlier this year.

It joins Vibe and Cheer as the other more recent recruits, transforming a sector that had been known for older, dirtier varieties.

Arlington is on a treated yield of 99% and a very good untreated yield of 94%, notes Clare Leaman, cereal variety specialist at Niab.

“It’s got orange wheat blossom midge resistance, stiff straw, very strong disease resistance with a 7 rating for septoria and a wide drilling window.” 

A protein content of 11.5%, the same as Zyatt, means it will need more help to hit top specification.

Vibe has already taken a chunk of the market, notes Duncan Durno, arable technical manager at Openfield, and has the best nitrogen uptake and assimilation in this group.

He adds that it can be drilled early and suits most situations, tipping it to have a good year.

Otherwise, Cheer, which was recommended in 2024, has seen its yellow rust rating fall from an 8 to a 6. With a yield of 96%, it should be drilled a bit later and makes a good partner for Vibe.

Ted includes STR Pace in the Group 1 sector. Added to the spring wheat Recommended List last year, it has been trialled in the UK for the past six years and has a wide drilling window, from October through to the spring.

“It’s a good example of different genetics and can be used as a solution to agronomic challenges, from barley yellow dwarf virus to blackgrass. Pace also has miller interest and there are buybacks available.”

Group 2

The Group 2 category is dominated by Arnie on a yield of 104% but most will be growing it as a feed variety, agree our commentators.

Clare explains that it is a high-yielding, low-protein type which shouldn’t be drilled too early and has a septoria rating of 6.8.

Duncan describes Arnie as “Extase Better”, as it has stiff straw and slightly stronger disease resistance, along with a higher yield. “It isn’t reliant on Yr15, so it’s been sought after.”

Newcomer Grebe is similar to Arnie, but has a slightly lower yield and brings orange wheat blossom midge resistance to the table. Extase remains in the mix, but its disease resistance ratings have fallen.

Otherwise, Palladium is the choice for premium markets, where they exist, although its yellow rust rating has fallen to a 6. It has stiff straw and is early to mature.

Group 3

Regional variations in yellow rust susceptibility have been reported in soft Group 3 Bamford this year, a variety which has taken a huge market share since it arrived on the scene and is currently the UK’s top-selling choice.

That is likely to change after the 2026 growing season, although our commentators are keen to point out that it remains a good variety with a range of marketing options and premium potential.

“Bamford doesn’t have the Yr15 gene, but it has taken a lot of yellow rust this year,” reports Ted. “Accept that you need to manage it alongside others.”

Solitaire is the other Group 3 variety of interest. It has fared better than Bamford on yellow rust this year, despite also having a 6 rating.

Solitaire brings a treated yield of 106% and orange wheat blossom midge resistance (OWBM), but has weaker straw, notes Clare.

Soft Group 4s

Sparkler, from Elsoms, is the new addition to the soft Group 4 varieties, with a treated yield of 106% and suitability for distilling and export.

A bit weaker on brown rust than some, it has a 7.2 rating for septoria and a 7 for yellow rust.

Hexton has become a good choice as a second wheat, meets the distilling and export markets, but also has a brown rust rating of 4.

Ted believes Nairn has a place in this category, despite not being recommended, as it can be drilled earlier and has better yellow rust resistance.

“It’s also very vigorous in the spring, so it grows away from challenges.”

Hard Group 4s

There are five newcomers in the hard feed wheats but some of them are hard to place, given their disease-resistance challenges.

Starting with those that are known to be susceptible to yellow rust, Aintree and Fowlmere are high risk.

As a result, Clare picks out Limagrain’s two new hard-feed wheats, Defiance on 109% and Challenger on 107%, as being high-yielding choices with better disease resistance.

Both have very high untreated yields and are resistant to OWBM.

“Defiance is a taller variety, so drill it later and be prepared to manage its lodging risk, while Challenger has stiffer straw, a wider drilling window and a good specific weight,” she says.

Guardsman on a yield of 103% brings barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) resistance and a 7 rating for yellow rust.

Weaker straw means that it should not be drilled early, making its BYDV trait less attractive than it otherwise would be.

Of the others, Scope, Champion, Beowulf, Dawsum and Typhoon are all struggling against yellow rust and growers are advised to proceed with caution. In contrast, 10 years after its recommendation, Graham remains a good choice.