KWS Feeris brings the best of conventional 6-row winter barley yields to the 2022/23 AHDB Recommended List with the additional benefits of BYDV tolerance and strong overall disease resistance, says KWS UK country manager Will Compson.
The first RL-listed winter barley to benefit from the company’s Sowing for Peak Performance (SPP) breeding initiative, KWS Feeris’ agronomic qualities introduce a new level of risk management for UK growers, he believes.
“SPP is all about arming producers with the genetics they need for the future and with aphid-borne viruses increasingly difficult to control, KWS Feeris’ tried and tested BYDV tolerance will be a real benefit to many.
Crop functionality
“Whilst yield is usually the topic that excites growers the most, some of the biggest advances are now in the shape of crop functionality and resilience to cope with increasingly variable growing conditions.
“The good news about KWS Feeris is that it brings new levels of disease resistance to winter barleys without compromising yields and that is really a first.
“Sitting at 103% of control yield for the UK as a whole, it performs particularly well in the West of the country where it produces 105% of controls, putting it in touching distance of hybrid performance levels.
“Furthermore, these yields have been delivered with exceptional consistency over the very contrasting seasons between 2019 and 2021, even on heavy soils.”
Stacks up well
In addition to BYDV tolerance and BYMV resistance, KWS Feeris stacks up very well with other 6-row winter barleys in terms of overall agronomic features, he adds.
“This is borne out by an untreated yield 84% of control with KWS Feeris getting 6s for both rhynchosporium and net blotch.
“Although it is reasonably tall-strawed at 95cm, it’s a good 5 – 10cm shorter than many commercial hybrid 6-rows and its stiff straw will be of benefit to many growers, especially those in prevalent blackgrass situations.
“KWS Feeris has similar maturity to KWS Orwell and at harvest will deliver good quality grain with a specific weight of 69.5kg/hl.
“All in all, KWS Feeris is a very strong variety in its own right but with its BYDV tolerance and BYMV resistance, it’s an excellent risk management tool for barley growers in high pressure hotspots and those looking to push drilling as early as possible.”
