Harvest Results – winter wheat yields close in on five-year average

Winter wheat yield results are now available from 15 AHDB Recommended Lists (RL) trial sites – Essex, Kent, Lincolnshire (two sites), Norfolk (two sites), Suffolk (two sites), Leicestershire, East Yorkshire (two sites), North Yorkshire, the Scottish Borders, Fife and South Glamorgan, reports AHDB.

Three of the four sites added this week yielded above the five-year average – South Glamorgan (13.65t/ha), Fife (13.26t/ha) and East Yorkshire (12.45t/ha). To date, only one winter wheat site has yielded higher – Norfolk (15.78t/ha). These high-yielding sites are spread geographically and there is no obvious regional pattern forming.

The average yield of control varieties in the 15 trials stands at 11.12t/ha, just 0.23t/ha below the five-year average of 11.35t/ha.

2018 results

Yields are represented as a percentage of the control varieties. In 2018, JB Diego, KWS Santiago, Skyfall, KWS Siskin and Zulu are the control varieties. The yield average from these varieties is represented as 100%.

Results to date show that Group 4 hard feed varieties lead the way, with Gleam, KWS Kerrin and KWS Crispin at 104%. The highest-yielding soft Group 4 feed variety is Bennington with a yield of 103%.

Yield isn’t everything with quality wheats but the top-yielding nabim Group 1 bread variety is KWS Zyatt (100%). KWS Siskin is the highest-yielding nabim Group 2 bread wheat (103%), while KWS Basset (101%) leads the nabim Group 3 biscuit yields.

Five-year averages

The 2018 data show yields based on one season. It is important, however, not to make conclusions on results from individual trial sites or individual years. Five-year averages should be used, as they provide a much better guide to variety performance.

Based on five-year average yields, current good performers include the hard feed varieties RGT Gravity (104%), KWS Kerrin (104%) and Gleam (104%), the soft Group 4 variety KWS Jackal, recommended for the North, at (103%), KWS Barrel (102%) in Group 3, KWS Siskin (102%) in Group 2 and KWS Zyatt (101%) in Group 1.

The AHDB Recommended Lists, which are based on results from UK trials over several seasons, provide the best indication of variety performance.

2018 Candidates

Looking at the five-year averages, the soft feed candidates are performing well on yield: LG Skyscraper (106%), LG Spotlight (104%), LG Sabertooth (104%), LG Interstellar (104%) and SY Loki (103%). The hard feed candidate LG Jigsaw (102%) and the potential biscuit-making variety KWS Firefly (102%) are also performing well. Quality bread making wheat candidate varieties in trial are KWS Extase (101%), LG Detroit (100%) and SY Medea (97%).

Full trial results can be accessed via the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds website: cereals.ahdb.org.uk/harvestresults