Latest “Dual-Purpose” Malting Barleys Provide A Welcome Boost For Scottish Growers’ Confidence
The availability of Belgravia and Concerto, two new Nickerson malting barley
varieties which meet the needs of brewers and distillers, will provide growers
in Scotland with renewed confidence in the crop, says their breeder Limagrain
UK.
“The recession-led reduction in demand from maltsters and distillers, together
with a large carry-over of stocks adversely impacted prices during 2009 and made
many growers in Scotland question the crop’s future, concedes Mark Glew. Senior
Barley Breeder for Limagrain, a leading breeder of spring barley with an
excellent track record of producing successful varieties for European markets.
He states:
“Producing spring malting barley for Scotland’s distillers and maltsters is a
major industry with an established infrastructure. The Scottish market amounted
to 750,000 tonnes during 2008, so its importance to the country’s arable sector
cannot be over-stated. Whilst, superficially, the crop might not currently
appear to be a good option, growers should step back from this one, poor season
and reflect on the longer-term picture. Demand for Scotch whisky remains strong
and is likely to increase in the future, so growers must be able to supply the
greater demand when it comes.
“When selecting malting barley varieties for 2010 production growers should take
particular care. A series of wet summers, late harvests and dry springs have
caused huge variations in performance, producing differing variety ranking
orders from site to site. This has made it much harder to choose the right ones
for individual farm situations. Growers should therefore review the long-term
performance of each variety to obtain a true reflection, rather than basing
their decision solely on 2009 results.
“Disease levels throughout Scotland were unusually low last season and the true
picture was distorted because some varieties ‘got lucky’ in terms of how they
performed, including Optic which has dominated the UK malting industry for many
years. However, growers in Scotland must remember that the run of mild winters
has increased disease pressures and take steps to guard against key diseases
such as mildew and Rhynchosporium. Choosing varieties with good natural
resistance will make it easier to plan spray programmes and reduce input costs.”
Growers looking for good all-round disease resistance could consider Belgravia
and Concerto, which have all the attributes for success required by any new
malting barley, namely timing to market, strong end-user ‘pull’ and clear
advantages over established contenders for both end-users and growers.
Belgravia, a Westminster x Minstrel cross which is fully-approved for malt and
grain distilling, was specifically selected for growing conditions in Scotland.
In addition to very high yields and good specific weights, it has also
demonstrated very good resistance to Ramularia and excellent green leaf
retention. Medium-early to mature, Belgravia delivers stable, dependable yield
performance, while its high Hot Water Extract, very low levels of Glycosidic
Nitrile (GN) and good enzyme activity, make it suitable for malt and grain
distilling. Other key features include its medium-length straw, good resistance
to lodging, brackling and brown rust, plus excellent resistance to mildew (9)
and Rhynchosporium (7).
Although Belgravia will increase the marketing opportunities available in the
malt and grain distilling sectors, growers must be aware of local market
requirements, decide which sector to aim for and manage the crop to meet the
required specifications.
Concerto (Minstrel x Westminster), the first true dual-purpose spring malting
barley from the Nickerson breeding programme to meet the requirements of the UK
brewing and distilling sectors, also possesses potential for malt and grain
exports, confirms Mark Glew.
“Concerto has arrived in the market at just the right time, when yield has
become ever more important and securing a malting premium is crucial to malting
barley’s profitability. The combination of this variety’s high yield and
quality, combined with sound agronomics and multiple marketing options, makes it
very attractive. Whereas all varieties other than Optic are use-specific,
Concerto has many potential markets. Its very high Hot Water Extract, low grain
nitrogen and very low Glycosidic Nitrile make it very attractive to end users.
The brewing and distilling sectors like the extract, maltsters like its yield
and good grain quality, it appeals to merchants because its different marketing
options enable it to be traded into different outlets, while farmers like to
grow what they can sell.”
Medium-early to mature, Concerto combines very high yield potential with a good
all-round agronomic package. Offering good resistance to lodging and brackling,
the variety has excellent resistance to mildew and is similar to Optic in terms
of Rhynchosporium and brown rust resistance.
Outlining his view on the malting barley sector, Lee Robinson, Limagrain UK’s
Director of Marketing – Arable Seeds, said:
“The long-term performance of malting barley varieties is the key consideration
for the future, but the situation is more complicated than that. In recent
years, varietal changes in the sector have been yield-driven, but there has been
little improvement in quality. New varieties have often had only specific uses,
giving growers and users little real choice in terms of which ones they produce
or use.
“The Scotch whisky industry still has the stated aim of moving to non-GN
producers. Of the current non- or low-GN varieties, Concerto is provisionally
approved, Belgravia has the highest yield of the fully-approved low-GN varieties
and is fully-approved for malt and grain distilling, while Oxbridge is fully-
approved for malt distilling and Decanter is fully-approved for grain
distilling.
“Concerto, in particular, has attracted huge interest because of its high hot
water extract (4 litre degrees higher than Optic’s) and resultant high alcohol
quantity. This year, 4000 to 5000 tonnes of Concerto will be used in UK brewing
and distilling trials. That is very encouraging and highlights the variety’s
market potential. It has also been provisionally approved by CMBO – the French
equivalent of the IBD – which will help to generate demand throughout Europe and
potentially provide an export option, while the variety’s competitive yields
across Europe demonstrate its adaptability and resilience to climatic
variation.”