Hagbergs look OK
Hagbergs look OK
HAGBERG levels in winter wheat as far north as E Yorks are likely to be quite satisfactory, provided the weather stays warm and dry.
That is the indication from a pilot exercise to predict grain quality and help growers determine which fields to harvest first (Arable July 24 p54).
Only one of the 66 samples of potential milling varieties taken between the soft and hard dough stage by Harper Adams researchers and analysed by NIAB is considered unlikely to achieve a Hagberg of 250 even if conditions remain good.
However, the HGCA-funded survey shows 50 of the samples have a high sprouting risk, project co-ordinator Peter Kettlewell notes.
"I am surprised at that figure. Normally when July is cool you expect grains to have greater dormancy. It just goes to show that it is a complex subject and that by actually measuring the risk we are on the right course."