Next month crop supplier KWS Group is to unveil four new varieties spanning three crop types, each offering class-leading grain quality attributes. 

The new varieties, which include milling and feed wheat, malting barley and oats, combine higher yields with strong all-round disease packages. All four candidates are in Recommended List trials and will potentially be added to the 2017-18 AHDB Recommended List later this year.

KWS Zyatt is a potential Group 1 milling wheat with a yield of 105% of controls, 8% ahead of the current Group 1 control, Crusoe, and on a par with high-yielding feed wheat KWS Santiago. Unusually for a Group 1, KWS Zyatt manages to maintain its yield without sacrificing protein, which, at 12.1%, is on a par with established milling variety Gallant.

Mark Dodds, a wheat breeder for KWS, said: “KWS Zyatt shows great promise. Over three years of private testing KWS Zyatt has shown itself to be a typical Group 1, with grain and flour characteristics similar to that of other varieties in this group and consistent bread-making performance.”

KWS Kerrin is a feed wheat with outstanding yield. Dodds said: “It has been remarkably consistent across contrasting seasons, proving to be the highest yielding winter wheat in National List trials over the past two years, where it outperformed KWS Santiago in 24 of the sites.”

Elsewhere, sales of rye have moved into growth, according to data from market analyst Nielsen, reversing a decline from the previous year.