Maverick above odds
Maverick above odds
A SECURE premium earning market for a new top yielding wheat is the latest carrot for cereal growers.
In a tie-up between Zeneca Seeds and Cereal Industries, subsidiary Allied Mills is to issue buy-back contracts paying £2/t above feed for Maverick.
Highest yielding candidate in 1996/97 recommended list trials, the Talon/Torfrida cross, has grain qualities useful in a range of milling grists, says Zenecas Paul Hickman.
It has high Hagberg and Zeleny ratings, probably inherited from Torfrida, says Mr Hickman. But as with Torfrida its grain produces dough too tough for normal UK processes.
However, four years of testing at Weston Research Laboratories shows the hard endosperm variety suits blending into several Allied grists, says Cereal Industries director and Allied Grain Group managing director Ian Douglas.n