Harvest Results show winter barley yields close to 5-year average

Harvest Results from 15 AHDB Recommended Lists (RL) winter barley trials sites (Aberdeen, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Devon, East Yorkshire, Hampshire, Glamorgan, Lincolnshire, Moray, Norfolk, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, the Scottish Borders and Suffolk) have been published to date (12 August 2019), reports the AHDB.

The average treated yield of control varieties (9.98t/ha) is close to the five-year average (10.02t/ha).

Information on untreated yields is now available from eight sites, in Cambridgeshire, Devon, Fife, Hampshire, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. The average untreated yield from the controls is 7.59t/ha which is behind the five year average of 7.98t/ha.

2019 averages

In 2019, the six-row hybrid varieties SY Baracooda (109%), SY Kingsbarn (109%), Sunningdale (108%), Belfry (107%) and Belmont (107%) are performing well. The yields of the six-row conventional feed varieties are KWS Astaire (105%) and Funky (105%).

KWS Gimlet (106%) and LG Mountain (106%) are showing the best yields so far in 2019 for the two-row feed varieties. These varieties were both new to the 2019/20 Recommended List.

Two-row malting varieties are judged more on their quality than outright yield. Currently, the average yields of the fully approved malting varieties are Craft (96%) and SY Venture (92%). The provisionally approved variety, Electrum, currently has a yield of 99%.

2015–2019 (five-year) averages

The five-year average values (2015–2019) provide a better representation of performance across seasons. The six-row hybrids SY Baracooda (108%), Belmont (108%) and SY Kingsbarn (108%) are performing well on yield. The yield performance of the six-row conventional feed varieties is KWS Astaire (105%) and Funky (104%).

For the two-row feeds, KWS Gimlet (104%), LG Mountain (104%), LG Flynn (102%) and KWS Orwell (102%) have produced the highest yields.

Five-year average results also provide a better measure of Candidate varieties. Results can only be published when varieties have completed national listing. The candidate six-row hybrid variety SY Kingston (107%) has been achieving similar yields to recommended varieties in the five-year average figures. The Candidate two-row feed varieties KWS Hawking (104%), Jordan (103%) and KWS Patriot (103%) are performing well. The Candidate two-row malting varieties Fay and Zophia both have a five-year average yield of 96%.