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High-performing winter wheat Bamford has topped all previous yields in an ongoing trial by GrainCo. The Group 3 variety achieved 12.2t/ha – the highest... Bamford records highest yield in continuous wheat trial

High-performing winter wheat Bamford has topped all previous yields in an ongoing trial by GrainCo.

The Group 3 variety achieved 12.2t/ha – the highest yield ever recorded by any variety – in the eight-year history of the GrainCo continuous wheat trial.

Grower Steve Buckle hosted the trial on his 115ha farm at Boroughbridge, near York.

Some 17 winter wheats were assessed – all drilled on half-acre acre plots during the second week of October, with all varieties receiving the same input regime.

“The plots are all drilled on the same free-draining soil on the same date to make it as level a playing field for all the varieties as we can,” says Mr Buckle.

“Although one or two breeders might argue that early October isn’t necessarily an optimum date for a very early drilling type, it’s a date that shouldn’t disadvantage any winter wheat in my opinion.

Performance

Mr Buckle, who began exploring continuous wheat using a single field 24 years ago, says he doesn’t try to duplicate the Recommended List trials.

“The key difference here is that we are annually evaluating how varieties perform in a continuous wheat situation, given that the field we use for the plots is in continuous wheat.

“That original field is still in continuous wheat now, a testament to its success and my belief in the financial benefits of the system.”

Continuous wheat became more attractive as growing oilseed rape became more difficult after the neonicotinoid ban in 2018, adds Mr Buckle.

With pulses never as profitable as second wheats, the idea of growing continuous wheat didn’t seem so outlandish – especially on a smaller farm where large areas of break crops aren’t possible.

By early summer, Bamford was the most impressive looking trial plot.

The final set of performance data shows it achieved a specific weight of 78.2kg/hl, a Hagberg falling number of 300 and a protein content of 9.5%.

Peter Collins, the driving force behind the GrainCo trials, acknowledges that continuous wheat is often seen as a controversial topic.

But he says there is no denying that it holds up as a successful business concept for delivering consistent profit margins.

“Second wheats are still one of the most profitable crops, but there are also other additional benefits to continuous wheat,” he says.

Pros and cons

Advantages include easier planning, less machinery kit to consider and fewer establishment decisions – although successful continuous wheat does rely on delayed drilling.

It also requires seed treatments to tackle take-all and glyphosate to destroy the green bridge presented by high weed burdens and volunteers left by the previous wheat crop.

“It won’t suit everyone,” says Mr Collins, although it can work on smaller farms – particularly those with little or no blackgrass, who struggle to achieve good margins on other break crops.

A variety with the right autumn growth habit and development speed is key – as well as good early vigour to complete against high weed burdens, and a solid disease resistance package.

Bamford, which topped the yields on this year’s trials, ticks all those boxes and has established itself as a very resilient winter wheat with the right type of profile, says Mr Collins.

“The GrainCo trial has also shown that it yields extremely well in a continuous wheat system. Overall, it appears to be a very high-yielding and flexible variety.