Harvest 2023: The 5 top-yielding winter wheat varieties map
John Deere X9 S790 harvesting wheat at Locksash Farm © Edward Vears (from Harvest 2023 gallery) Throughout the harvest season, we are updating our handy map with the latest data from 2023’s AHDB wheat Recommended List harvest results.
Use the map below to find the five highest-yielding wheat varieties at your nearest trials site.
Wheat summary
Twenty of the 30 fungicide-treated winter wheat RL trials have now been reported and the 2023 average is 11.02 t/ha, just below the five-year average of 11.09 t/ha.
The variable growing conditions over the summer and wet harvest are apparent in the quality data, with low Hagberg Falling numbers in many trials, with vulnerable varieties worst affected.
Protein levels are also low in some trials, though specific weight seems to be holding up reasonably well in the trials that have been reported so far.
Significant lodging is also evident in some trials, again reflective of the season, though generally in the varieties with the lowest ratings, though in some northern trials it was more generally an issue, with all varieties lodging to some extent.
Wheat variety selection
The Group 4 (hard) varieties continue to lead on yield, with Insitor (107%) and Champion (107%) the highest yielding varieties, followed by newly recommended for the East and West variety Oxford (105%) and newly recommended for the East and West soft Group 4 variety Redwald (105%).
Dawsum is on 104%. Newly recommended for the North soft Group 4 variety Zealum is on 102%, with Bairstow also in 102%, just ahead of Skyscraper (101%) in the soft Group 4s.
In the quality wheats the Group 3 varieties continue to perform around their five-year averages. Guium, Merit and Prince are all on 100%, with Rashid, Brium and newly recommended variety Wilkinson on 99%.
The bread-milling varieties are all performing at or a little above their five-year average, with Zyatt (99%) and Skyfall (98%) highest yielding, probably helped by the low yellow rust pressure in 2023.
In the Group 2 varieties Extase and newly recommended Ultimatum are both on 102%, with Palladium on 100% and Mayflower on 97%.
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