IN the second part of their agronomy series, Mr Barker and Mr Spinks offer advice on winter barley and wheat.

Winter barley Winter barley has been in decline in the UK for several years now, but has always retained an important place in the rotation in the North-East.

Its value as a feedstock for cattle and pig enterprises is well appreciated, plus the additional value of the straw.

The malting markets of the North-East and Scotland are also close by so this is an additional market in addition to similar markets further south. Winter barley is also an excellent entry for oilseed rape, so it is a useful crop in the North-East.

For feed grain production a high yield is the main requisite and the highest yields are given by the 6-row types.

However, 6-rows are not universally popular among growers as many have memories of them producing thin grain which went over the back of the combine and appeared sticking out of subsequent wheat crops.

Plant breeding has progressed somewhat since those days however and many of the current 6-row varieties have good grain quality.

Sequel is one of the most popular and has good grain quality, although it is looking pretty ordinary for yield these days as many of the newer 2-row varieties have caught up with or even surpassed its yields.

Hybrid 6-row varieties have been around for a few years now and while the earlier ones suffered from brown rust, susceptibly and mediocre grain quality, the latest ones have overcome these problems and also offer very high yields, well in excess of any other varieties.

Volume is worth trying for any grower wanting maximum output of feed grain.

Carat has been the main choice for a 2-row feed barley for several years now and although it is likely to remain popular because of its short, stiff straw and early ripening, there are some higher yielding alternatives to consider.

Retriever is very high-yielding, on a par with many of the 6-rows, although its grain quality in terms of specific weight is not good.

Saffron is slightly lower-yielding, but has good grain quality and so is a very popular replacement for Carat. Saffron does not have resistance to barley mosaic virus however, and if you have land which is infected with this virus you need to grow a resistant variety.

Carat is resistant, as is Retriever, but Suzuka also has the resistance plus, a reasonably high yield and good grain quality.

For malting barley production, you need to grow a variety which is sought-after by the brewers and distillers.

The distillers mainly prefer grain from spring barley varieties, but brewers also use malt from the lower malt extract producing winter types.

Pearl has been the mainstay of this market for many years now and is still sought-after by end-users although for the grower, varieties such as Flagon or Cassata offer higher yields so may be more worthwhile considering. Cassata has resistance to barley mosaic virus, unlike Flagon or Pearl, which may be a consideration.

Winter wheat Winter wheat remains the mainstay of the arable enterprise in the North-East.

Year on year, it provides better financial returns than the other crops and therefore is the most widely grown arable crop.

The main markets for wheat in the North- East are for animal feed, the distilling market in Scotland and the export market from the coastal ports. The production of wheat for the human consumption market is limited, as most of the millers are situated further south and the climatic conditions often preclude the production of the necessary quality grain.

So for these main markets a high yield is the main requirement, of either a hard or soft endosperm variety. For the distilling market a soft endosperm variety is required and most of the export market is also for soft endosperm varieties.

Soft endosperm varieties such as Claire and Consort have been favoured in this region as they satisfied the criteria for most markets.

However, they are both rather low in yield compared to some of the newer varieties and it is probably time to move on from them.

Robigus is widely grown as it too has the soft endosperm characteristic, but its poor resistance to yellow and brown rust can be an issue in the North-East.

However, it too is at a yield-deficit compared to the feed wheats now on offer and many growers are moving towards these because of the better returns available.

What growers need are some high-yielding, soft endosperm biscuit/distilling/export varieties and while the likes of Viscount, Cassius and Scout look promising, it is early days for them. Although a few growers will be trying them this autumn, it will be autumn 2009 before they become widely available.

Currently the feed wheats offer the highest yields, with the likes of Oakley, Duxford and JB Diego having about a 5pc yield advantage over Robigus. These three varieties have also performed well as second wheats so any of them would be useful choices for this autumn.

Alchemy is not quite so high-yielding as these varieties, but gives a useful yield of soft endosperm grain which may be attractive to the distilling industry, but not the biscuit flour millers.

Humber is short and stiff which is a good attribute for the North-East region, but its yields have been a little variable over the years and it has not always done well in the North.

Einstein has been a popular choice for many growers, particularly in the second wheat slot. It is mainly grown as a feed wheat and any quality premiums are a bonus. There are, however, some newer varieties such as Battalion, also with some breadmaking quality, which give better yields than Einstein in the second wheat position.

Although the production of wheat for breadmaking is a bit of a risk in the North- East, because of the lower protein and Hagberg Falling Numbers generally experienced, the two varieties worth trying for this market would be Solstice for a high quality Group 1 type or Cordiale for the Group 2 trade.