Spring barley recommended and candidate lists

Recommended List spring barley harvest results now complete, with mixed results

• Average control yields from fungicide-treated spring barley trials are 7.29 t/ha, just below the five-year average
• Average control yields from fungicide-untreated trials are 5.81 t/ha, just below the five-year average
• Grain quality is similar to 2025, with slightly better specific weight but slightly higher screenings.

Yields from 17 of the 20 Recommended List fungicide-treated spring barley trials are available. Two trials were abandoned due to poor establishment, with another being rejected after harvest, due to variability within the trial. The average yield of the controls stands at 7.29 t/ha, 0.30 t/ha below the five-year average of 7.59 t/ha.

Yields from five of the seven fungicide-untreated trials are available. With one trial abandoned and another trial rejected after harvest due to variability. Average yield of the control varieties is 5.81 t/ha, 0.48 t/ha below the five-year average of 6.29 t/ha.

Yields have been generally variable, with both high and low yields reported across the country. The lowest yields came from Ormskirk in Lancashire on a light sandy loam site, while low yields were also recorded in Norfolk and Hampshire, but at some Scottish sites, while the highest yielding trial was in Devon.

Yield calculation

Yields are represented as a percentage of the control varieties. In 2026 the control varieties comprise five malting varieties, RGT Planet, Laureate, LG Diablo, Firefoxx and Skyway. The average of the yields from the control varieties is represented as 100%.

2026 yield averages

Fungicide-treated trials

Despite the difficult conditions in 2026 most varieties have performed close to their five-year averages. Indicating the conditions have not changed the rankling of varieties very much. Highest yielding of the fully approved malting varieties in 2026 is SY Arrow, which is now an RAGT variety and is now fully approved for malt distilling, though still provisional for brewing, it is on 105%. Just behind is Belter on 104%, which is now fully approved for both brewing and malt distilling, with Firefoxx on 103%. Skyway is on 102% and Laureate on 101%. SY Tennyson is now on 100%. RGT Planet and LG Diablo are both on 97%. KWS Sassy has struggled in 2026 on 82%, well below its five-year average. Poor plant populations were noted across trials, which likely accounts for the low yield. The cause is not known, but as it is across trials it is likely to be an issue with seed quality.

The null-lox described variety CB Score is on 101%, while the described grain distilling variety Fairing is on 92%.

Several varieties are currently only provisionally approved by the MBC for malting and until they are fully approved demand is likely to be limited, so growers should speak to merchants to ensure there is a market before committing to them. Of these, LG Aquarius, which is provisionally approved for brewing is highest yielding on 105%. Newly recommended Trailblazer from Secobra, which is provisionally approved for brewing and malt distilling is also on 105%. Ptarmigan, also from Secobra, which is also provisionally approved for brewing and malt distilling is on 104%. Newly recommended Roulette from Secobra, which is provisionally approved for brewing and malt distilling is on 103%. KWS Enduris is on 102% and newly recommended Nolan from Senova is on 101%. Both are provisionally approved for brewing and malt distilling.

Shona from Elsoms remains under test for brewing and malt distilling and is recommended only for the East. It is on 100%.

The MBC will meet at the start of November and the malting status of some varieties may change after this meeting.

Three varieties have been withdrawn from the provisionally approved list of malting varieties. They will be reviewed in the autumn and may stay on the list as feed varieties if they are competitive in that market. They are Bounty from Agrovista on 102% and Firecracker from Secobra on 101%, and Olsen from Limagrain on 100%. All three are yielding below their five-year averages.

Fungicide-untreated trials

Brown rust and ramularia were the two main diseases reported in 2026. Unsurprisingly the wet weather diseases of rhynchosporium and net blotch were restricted to a small number of trials in the north and west.  Fully approved SY Arrow is highest yielding in these trials in 2026 on 109% of controls, well above its five-year average. Roulette on 107% is the next highest yielding of the malting varieties, though it is only provisionally approved. Trailblazer and KWS Enduris are both on 106%, though both are only provisionally approved. Belter is on 105%, while Laureate is on 104%. Provisionally approved LG Aquarius and Ptarmigan are on 103%, along with Firefoxx.

Firecracker which is no longer under test for malting and will be reconsidered as a feed variety in the autumn and may stay on the list as a feed variety is on 104%. Bounty and Olsen, which are also being reconsidered as feed varieties are on 99%.

Five-year averages

Five-year average values provide a better representation of performance across seasons, especially for candidates. These yield figures are used in the selection of candidates to add to the RL in the autumn, along with disease resistance ratings, grain quality, agronomic characters and importantly for potential malting varieties, the view of the MBC on malting quality.

Fungicide-treated trials

The five-year average yields generally look very similar to the current RL.  The provisionally approved malting variety Trailblazer on 106%, takes the top spot, with Belter, SY Arrow and provisional approved Roulette, LG Aquarius and Ptarmigan all on 104%. Shona, which is still under test for brewing and malt distilling is on 103%. Market leader Laureate is just behind these on 102% alongside a large group of varieties which includes Firefoxx, Skyway and provisionally approved varieties Nolan and KWS Enduris.

Bounty, which is no longer under test for malting is on 105%, with Firecracker and Olsen, also no longer under test for malting on 103% and 102% respectively.

The null-lox described variety CB Score is on 100%, with the described grain distilling variety Fairing on 92%.

Fungicide-untreated trials

Provisionally approved variety Roulette is highest yielding on 108%, with provisionally approved varieties Ptarmigan and KWS Enduris on 105% with Trailblazer and Nolan on 104%. Fully approved Belter is on 106% with market leader Laureate on 104%. Firefoxx, Skyway and null-lox variety CB Score are on 101%.

Firecracker which is no longer under test for malting is on 107%.

Candidates

Data can only be shown for varieties that have been added to the GB and NI variety list. So far this is just two of the three candidates, LG Dynamo and RGT Spacewalk. The five-year fungicide-treated yield of both varieties is 105%, making them competitive with the highest yielding varieties currently on the list. Their five-year fungicide-untreated yields are 104% for RGT Spacewalk and 102% for LG Dynamo. Both varieties have low specific weight.

Further information

Access full trial results via the AHDB website: ahdb.org.uk/harvestresults

AHDB Recommended Lists (RL) trials test variety performance under optimum conditions. Care should be taken when making comparisons with commercial yields. Results from individual trial sites should not be used to make conclusions on variety performance. The RL publications are based on information from trials across the UK over several seasons. As more information becomes available from the current harvest, this will contribute to the over-trials averages – which comprise four years for oilseeds and five years for cereals. These averages provide better information for comparison between varieties. Performance variation is not the responsibility of AHDB. Since the focus is to test new varieties, not all RL varieties are presented. Yields for well-established varieties are published at ahdb.org.uk/rl