KWS is to unveil four new varieties spanning three crop types with each offering class-leading grain quality attributes at Cereals 2016.
The new varieties, include milling and feed wheat, malting barley and oats, and combine higher yields with strong all-round disease packages meaning they offer something for every grower.
All four candidates are in Recommended List trials and will potentially be added to the 2017-18 AHDB Recommended List later this year.
KWS Zyatt is a potential Group 1 milling wheat with a yield of 105% of controls, 8% ahead of the current Group 1 control, Crusoe, and on a par with high-yielding feed wheat KWS Santiago.
Unusually for a Group 1, KWS Zyatt manages to maintain its yield without sacrificing protein which, at 12.1%, is on a par with established milling variety Gallant.
"KWS Zyatt shows great promise. Over three years of private testing KWS Zyatt has shown itself to be a typical Group 1 with grain and flour characteristics similar to that of other varieties in this group and consistent bread-making performance," says KWS wheat breeder Mark Dodds.
"In has performed similarly well in official testing with comments noting its ‘good baking quality similar to that of Gallant’," he adds.
A yield on-par with feed wheats will further underline its appeal to growers as it means they can grow for the heap without suffering a yield penalty while retaining the opportunity to pursue price premiums for quality.
"KWS Zyatt is the ultimate in flexible wheats. It combines excellent yields and grain quality and strong disease resistance to the principal foliar diseases and pch 1 eyespot resistance, meaning it will find a place on every farm," says Mark Dodds.
KWS Kerrin is a feed wheat with outstanding yield. "It has been remarkably consistent across contrasting seasons proving to be the highest yielding winter wheat in National List trials over the past two years where it out-performed KWS Santiago in 24 of sites," says Mark Dodds.
"KWS Kerrin is a KWS Santiago cross, but with better yield performance and disease resistance. It has a good yellow rust score, OWBM resistance and is a medium height variety with strong straw and maturity similar to other Group 4s.
"It has a similar HFN to its parent and will appeal to those in the East where it is a natural successor to KWS Santiago," adds Mark Dodds.
