United Kingdom
July 15, 2024
Winter barley variety LG Capitol has withstood one of the wettest seasons on record as well as any winter wheat and looks full of promise heading towards harvest 2024, says Shropshire farmer & contractor, Rob Bebbington.
Fieldfare Farmers covers some 365 ha (900 acres) for a range of clients across Cheshire, Shropshire, and north Wales. It has a varied rotation, split roughly 50:50 between autumn cereals and spring cropping, including potatoes, forage maize, oilseed rape, winter wheat and winter barley.
Winter barley is grown primarily as an early entry for oilseed rape, and this year, Mr Bebbington’s whole barley area (28 ha) is down to LG Capitol, grown for the first time on the recommendation of seed supplier and grain buyer, Wynnstay.
“Historically, 20 years ago, winter barley always looked a bit disappointing after a wet, cold winter, whereas with the improvements in genetics we’ve seen in recent years, now it almost seems to withstand the conditions as well as any winter wheat,” says Mr Bebbington.
“Indeed, despite one of the wettest years we’ve ever had, LG Capitol has stood up to the wet autumn and spring, and looks incredible! I can’t wait to see how it performs going into the shed this harvest.”
This year’s LG Capitol was sown on 26 September at a seed rate of 165 kg/ha, after forage maize. Land was ploughed, power harrowed and drilled in good time last autumn, allowing crops just enough time to establish before the winter set in, he says.
In total, the LG Capitol received 165 kg N/ha (applied as 26N 31SO3 and granulated urea), two fungicides based on bixafen, Fluopyram + prothioconazole and fluxapyroxad + Mefentrifluconazole, plus a mepiquat-based growth regulator, and foliar manganese.
Mr Bebbington says winter barley yields typically average around 7.6-8 t/ha (3.1-3.2 t/acre), but looking at the condition of the LG Capitol approaching harvest, he is cautiously optimistic that this year’s crop will at least match, if not exceed, that level.
The crop will be followed by oilseed rape. “We still like growing oilseed rape; it fits in well with our rotation and gives us a good spread of cropping, with winter barley providing an excellent early entry. Fingers crossed we haven’t suffered too badly with cabbage stem flea beetle.”
Looking ahead to the coming autumn, Mr Bebbington says end user requirements remain a key driver of varietal choices, so will again influence final decisions.
“But at the same time, we like LG Capitol, and don’t feel a need to change from it.”
LG Capitol
–> Highest yielding 2-row winter barley for the east & north
–> Yield comparable with hybrid varieties
–> Strong disease resistance – notably brown rust, Rhynchosporium & mildew
–> Good specific weight & screenings
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