Wise Variety Choice Builds Yield Security

From unpredictable weather, to evolving disease threats, there are numerous risks to crop profitability; some of which can be managed,
or at least mitigated, with careful variety selection, says our arable technical manager, Ron Granger.

Yield remains a top priority when choosing what to grow, but the key is selecting proven varieties that deliver “yield security” across multiple, often very different seasons, by combining yield potential with agronomics and disease resistance, suited to specific situations.
Yield security is something Limagrain is providing, with a range of exciting hard wheat varieties, including LG Typhoon, LG Beowulf, LG Rebellion, and two new Candidates for 2025, LG Challenger and LG Defiance.

LG Typhoon has been on the RL for three years, and has proven popular with many agronomists and farmers, especially those drilling early and with wider-row
regen-type systems. It has an excellent disease resistance profile, especially for yellow rust (9) and Septoria tritici (7.2). This, combined with orange wheat blossom midge (OWBM) resistance, good specific weight and agronomic characteristics of a slow, prostrate, growth habit, and high tillering ability, all suit such situations.
These characteristics make LG Typhoon a great all-round package, but it should not just be considered as an early drilling variety. It has proven to be a great all-rounder, showing good results when drilled later, affording extra flexibility should the weather disrupt plans.

LG Beowulf takes genetic gains further, building on its strong Costello x Gleam parentage. It offers robust disease resistance, rated 9 for yellow rust, and 6.6 for Septoria tritici, stiff straw, strong tillering, OWBM resistance and excellent grain quality, particularly specific weight. LG Beowulf has all the key agronomic attributes for securing yield potential, with proven performance across different situations, soil types, drilling dates, and regions. It is a variety that offers great all-round flexibility, suiting most on-farm situations, and is certainly one for consideration this Autumn. It also has faster Spring growth than LG Typhoon, which could make it a better option for those concerned about black-grass and wanting to maximise crop competition. Another variety with variety with growth is LG Rebellion. Although not on the RL, it has performed consistently well over the past three years in official trials and Limagrain remains fully committed to it for the coming Autumn, confident that it offers a differential package to many other hard feed wheats. LG Rebellion capitalises on its KWS Extase parentage, offering more rapid Spring growth, high untreated yield potential, and good grain characteristics, with the bonus of Pch1 eyespot resistance.

Early maturity is a particularly valuable asset for spreading harvest date and the potential for land preparation or an early entry into oilseed rape.
LG Rebellion is more suited to the main and late drilling window, performing well on all soil types, but probably warrants special consideration for more testing, lighter and medium-bodied soils where varieties with faster growth, earlier maturity, and good specific weight are considered beneficial. It also suits growers wanting to sow a hard wheat after late-lifted root crops, veg,
and maize. Yellow rust is something to watch out for on-farm, but recent seasons show all varieties – even those with the highest resistance ratings – should be monitored, given the pathogens constantly evolving nature.

Raising the Bar

The two exciting new Candidate varieties, LG Challenger and LG Defiance, promise to raise the yield potential bar further, backed up by high untreated yields. They mark the latest results of ongoing Limagrain breeding development, bringing new hard wheats to the UK market.

LG Defiance builds on its Gleam x KWS Extase parentage, offering the second-highest treated yield of all Candidate varieties (111); slightly ahead of three-way cross, LG Challenger (108). LG Defiance is more of a KWS Extase-plant type, but with a slower Spring growth, suiting the mainstream to late drilling window. 

LG Challenger, in contrast, sits tighter to the ground and tillers better, which is likely to make it a more suited option for earlier drilling and Northern regions, based on limited data.

Both have OWBM resistance and good grain quality, although LG Challenger has a slight edge on specific weight and Hagberg.
With hard feed wheats accounting for around half the UK wheat market and likely to feature heavily again this Autumn, selecting a variety that fits your situation and offers yield security is key to maximising returns, whatever next season throws at us!

This article is featured in the June 2025 edition of GatePost.  Click here to read the full edition.