Westminster’s disease resistance is bonus to growers in west

Growers producing spring barley in the west would expect to treat for Rhynchosporium as a matter of course, says David Miles of Wiltshire-based Biotek, the specialist field trials and crop services company.

"Growing spring malting barley in the central south and western regions is very important for growers because of the good export market. And in these regions Rhynchosporium is nearly always a problem every season, and the further west you go the more important it becomes.

“Despite having had a relatively dry period up until now - and Rhynchosporium being rain spread - it will appear later on for sure.”

That’s why Mr Miles advises strongly in favour of Westminster, a new spring malting, which has a Rhynchosporium rating of 8 on the Recommended List.

HCCA Rhynchosporium ratings have improved over the past few years and there are more varieties around with claims of resistance, he says. “Westminster is the best at an 8, Oxbridge at a 7 and Decanter at a 6, but everything else is a 4 or 5 - except for the feed varieties Doyen and Rebecca which look pretty good.”

Even with the excellent rating for Westminster Mr Miles is cautious in suggesting that growers can skimp on the fungicides. “It is good to have a fallback of background resistance, but growers must be aware of the disease pressure over a range of geographic locations.”

Westminster’s breeder, Mark Glew of Nickerson, agrees that it isn’t a no input variety, but it is more flexible in terms of how intensively a grower chooses to treat it.

“Optimum timings for fungicide applications can be missed in the west with limited spray windows due to the wetter climate, and winter wheat spraying often taking priority. But Westminster will protect itself in terms of genetic resistance until the grower can get on to provide the additional chemical protection.”

Combining the genetic and chemical control of Rhynchosporium is just as important where farmers are looking to grow Westminster as feed barley for its straw yield, he says.  “Rhynchosporium is one of the most damaging diseases to straw structure, -making it brittle, and causing it to break up both in the field and in the combine, and can seriously reduce straw yield and quality.”

For further information contact: Lee Robinson on 01472 371471 or lrobinson@nickerson.co.uk or go to www.nickersonuk.com