Big Six:  List debut for latest KWS wheat varieties

Plant breeder KWS has seen added six new high yielding wheats to the AHDB Recommended List for 2022/23 – taking to 14 its total number of recommended wheats.

“We’re bringing an enhanced range of functional traits and marketing opportunities to UK growers,” says the company’s Kirsty Richards.

“While yield has always been a priority in recent years, our ‘Sowing for Peak Performance’ (SPP) thinking puts more emphasis on features such as disease resistance, grain quality and later-drilling capability to help growers meet future challenges.”

Wide Group 4 appeal

KWS Dawsum is a new Group 4 hard feed wheat with a yield potential 104% of controls and a specific weight of 79.4kg/hl. Dr Richards says this will be of real interest to many growers following poor specific weights in 2021.

“KWS Dawsum’s treated yield is pretty spectacular but it also has an untreated yield of 92% of control so it will appeal to a range of growers with different production systems.”

This is underpinned by resistance scores of 9 for yellow rust, an 8 for mildew and a 7 for brown rust.

“Robust genetics ensure KWS Dawsum delivers to its full potential across the rotation regardless of heavy or light soil, early of later drilling and whether it’s in a first or second wheat slot. It’s a real work horse with short, stiff straw adding to its reliability.”

KWS Fixum is another Group 4 addition in the shape of a spring-sown variety. It yields 3% more than the current highest yielding commercialspring wheat, says Dr Richards.

“KWS Fixum is 14% higher yielding than Mulika when spring-sown with good performance in the late autumn slot, too.

“Agronomically, it’s difficult to see any weaknesses with an 8 for mildew, a 7 for yellow rust and an 8 for brown rust resistance.”

Marketing opportunities

In Group 3, KWS Guium and KWS Brium have strong yields, good physical grain quality and potential for distilling with specific agronomic properties suiting them to different production scenarios, says Dr Richards.

“KWS Guium has excellent yield potential at 102% of control, is particularly strong in the Eastern biscuit growing regions and performs well in the popular second wheat slot, delivering excellent performance when later sown.

KWS Brium is a slightly earlier maturing, slightly taller Group 3 than KWS Guium. Its stiff straw ensures it can  be harvested safely after other varieties – helping to  spread workloads significantly.

“Importantly KWS Brium brings non-Cougar septoria resistance combined with high yield to Group 3. Only KWS Barrel and Elicit have non-Cougar resistance at the moment and both these have out-dated yields.”

High untreated yields

New Group 2 variety KWS Palladium has a three-year septoria resistance of 7.4 combined with a 9 for yellow rust and an 8 for mildew to give an untreated yield 90% of the treated control – just 3% behind the class leader KWS Extase, Dr Richards explains.

“Its untreated yield is significantly better than all other comparative varieties with particularly strong performance in the West and when in the second wheat position, where 60% of milling wheats are sown.

“Quality-wise it’s got a specific weight of 76.9kg/hl, an HFN of 315 and a milling protein level of 13.1%, so it’s perfect for a range of baking uses with good gluten strength and loaf volume.

“It’s another short, stiff-strawed variety with an early harvest giving real security for producers whether they are growing this high quality wheat with the benefit of a full agronomic programme or going down a lower input route.”

New milling variety

One of the best examples of SPP thinking in action is the introduction of the spring-sown KWS Ladum as a full-specification Group 1 milling wheat, she says.

“Against the backdrop of a shortage of Group 1 varieties coming forward in recent years, KWS Ladum combines excellent physical grain quality, including a specific weight of 78.0kg/hl, with a yield 8% higher than Mulika when sown in the spring slot. 

Ladum performs well when late autumn sown, protected by a septoria resistance score of 7 and a mildew resistance of 8. This is allied to early maturity and short, stiff straw.

Good gluten and loaf volume mean a milling specification with 13.2% protein, specific weight of 78.0kg/hl and a Hagberg falling number of 324.”