Mild weather triggers mosaic virus alert for barley growers

"Symptoms in non-resistant varieties are the strongest we have seen for many years. So now is a good time for growers to check their winter barley fields for mosaic virus infection," warns Mr Fenwick.

This soil-borne virus can reduce yields by 30-40%, which is why Nickerson select for complete resistance as a high breeding priority."

Both the company's malting variety Cassata and the feed variety Retriever are newly HGCA-recommended on the winter barley list for 2007-8 and are resistant to barley mild mosaic virus (BaMMV) and to barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) strain 1.

The picture shows the effect of the disease, with the resistant variety Cassata (on the right) having healthy, green spring growth.