Frontier launches new variety trials video series alongside 2022 seed catalogue

While 2022 saw the business’ programme of open days return to its national network of 3D Thinking demonstration trial sites after a two-year Covid hiatus, the video series offers an additional resource for those unable to see the plots in person, or who want more information about this year’s newest varieties. 

Across 12 new videos, seed business development manager, Jim Knight and national origination manager, Andrew Hill join forces once again to look at the latest crop options and market opportunities for the coming season. This year, break crop production and sustainability specialist, Rob Nightingale also provides commentary on the agronomics of high erucic acid rape (HEAR) in light of Frontier’s premium contract opportunities, covering three key varieties and dispelling some myths often associated with its management.

“We’re really happy to be able to provide another video series for growers,” explains Jim, who leads on the commentary for the latest winter wheat and barley varieties. “With harvest upon us, this is a key point in the agricultural calendar for variety choice and rotational planning. It’s been a tumultuous year too, and we know there will be a lot weighing on growers’ minds when it comes to decisions for 2023. Commodity prices have reached peaks and shown levels of volatility that we’ve never seen and the cost of inputs is unprecedentedly high. All of this will influence plans, so it’s important we make our trial insights and recommendations as accessible as possible.”

“With harvest upon us, this is a key point in the agricultural calendar for variety choice and rotational planning. It’s been a tumultuous year too, and we know there will be a lot weighing on growers’ minds when it comes to decisions for 2023."

In the video series, Jim draws particular attention to some key wheat varieties on the AHDB Recommended List which have shown themselves to be exceptionally clean – an important characteristic for many growers in the fight against disease.

“Popular options in previous seasons have been KWS Kerrin, RGT Gravity and Costello, but newcomers Champion, KWS Dawsum and RGT Bairstow could really shake up selections,” says Jim. “To a certain degree, the introduction of these new varieties means that growers no longer have to compromise on yield or disease resistance – they are very good.”

KWS Dawsum, for example, is one of the top yielding Group 4 wheats on the Recommended List and is also considered the cleanest. In comparison, Champion is now the highest yielding variety overall, with one of the best combinations of yellow rust and Septoria tritici resistance.

“Group 2 bread-making varieties have also seen some notable developments when it comes to genetics,” Jim continues. “KWS Palladium is only in its first year on the Recommended List but it has the potential to match some Group 1 wheats for quality whilst offering significantly better disease resistance.”

While Jim covers some of the key options for this season, Andrew looks at the extended volatility of wheat prices and stresses the importance of growing for the right market. For barley the trends are set to be similar but, with ongoing black-grass challenges coupled with the rising costs of inputs, winter barley remains one of the less expensive cereals to grow. Of particular interest in terms of varieties, KWS Feeris is the first Recommended List variety to have genetic tolerance to barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) – an exciting development in terms of seed breeding and future rotational planning.

For oilseed rape, demand for the crop has grown and the planted area looks set to increase given new market opportunities. “Oilseed rape has the potential to offer some excellent returns for growers,” says Jim. “Projected plantings will only meet around half of the UK’s demand, so this means there are some good opportunities for growers.

“Value added contracts such as Frontier’s high erucic acid rape (HEAR) option could be incredibly rewarding, so it’s important that we look at the agronomics of the key varieties – particularly as they don’t require anything special in terms of management beyond what is normal for 00 varieties. There’s been some great development in this area.”

Growers can access Frontier’s latest virtual plot tour series as a playlist on YouTube and those who watch the series in full can claim 1 BASIS point. The business has also launched its 2022 MyVarieties Seed guide which, alongside the series, offers growers some valuable crop performance information to aid variety selection.

The guide includes 56 varieties of winter oilseed rape, wheat, barley, oats and rye and for the first time also includes winter beans, with a focus on three key varieties.