VARIETIES PLANT BREEDING industry – including growers and seed breeders – and while we have some great varieties to move forward with, others have been found sadly wanting. “You only have to see the problems many of the previously reliable high yielding Group 1 varieties are having with yellow rusts and other diseases to realise we are at a bit of a crossroads. “Simply chasing yields is no longer the answer and while ultimate production potential will always be in demand, we’ve learned you have to build in a lot more features to help growers achieve this more of the time in more variable growing conditions,” says Dr Richards. According to Dr John Redhead, of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), focusing on 2020 provides a good picture of what UK growers are likely to experience more of in the future weather-wise. He says: “Last year was the country’s worst harvest for at least 25 years as a result of the poor weather but, unfortunately, it can’t be seen as a one-off. “Climate researchers generally agree that the way climate change will manifest itself in the UK is in wetter winters and hotter summers with less rainfall. The UK is unlikely to see a smooth transition to a warmer climate in the years ahead, with the increasing likelihood that it will be typified by periods of extreme weather.
KWS sees opportunities in matched ‘systems’ of varieties, suited to individual farm situations and longer term rotations.
“In the 2020 growing season, for example, this was evidenced by torrential rain at crucial times which hampered sowing most types of crops, an exceptionally dry spring affecting plant growth and finally heavy downpours in August creating very challenging harvesting conditions. “UKCEH analysis of detailed data on 2020 yields from more than 500 fields across 100 farms showed an average fall in crop yields of around 15% compared to the five-year mean with the tonnage per hectare in some places down by as much as two-thirds.”
The three key watchwords as far as varieties are concerned are resilience, robustness and resistance DR KIRSTY RICHARDS
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With the climate likely to exert such downward pressure on yields more often in the future, varieties and their inherent strengths will have a much greater role to play in the years ahead, says Dr Richards. “The three key watchwords as far as varieties are concerned are resilience, robustness and resistance. Context “For KWS, the challenge is to develop varieties that deliver the highest performance possible and also allow growers to achieve this in the context of the new production environment we are inevitably moving towards. “We need varieties that can cope more with what the climate throws at them and that are less reliant on often complex and often costly agronomic interventions.” The company’s ‘Sowing for Peak Performance’ initiative – or SPP for short – has already delivered standout varieties with regard to this, she says, with even greater emphasis on functional traits being a future priority.
“In a world where more volatile weather conditions are the norm, stem stiffness and standing power become increasingly relevant and in more challenging autumn weather, later drilling capability becomes increasingly important. “Strong disease resistance and high untreated yield are also increasingly relevant characteristics when agronomic inputs become less available or when spray windows are likely to be reduced because of the weather. “KWS Extase, for example, has proved enormously popular over the last two years with the highest untreated yield on the 2021/22 Recommended List at more than 10 tonnes/ha. “The variety’s high septoria resistance has allowed producers to be more flexible with their fungicide strategy but it’s also delivered exceptional yield and grain quality in the field. “Growers report KWS Extase producing more than 12t/ha and achieving milling specification proteins of 13%, making many millers increasingly interested Continues on page 12.
JULY 2021 03/06/2021 16:10
