As harvest draws to a close and many growers are starting to get sufficient rainfall to begin autumn drilling, the focus of attention is on variety selection. Winter barley remains an important consideration across many arable rotations, offering good second cereal performance, flexibility around workload management at drilling and harvest, the best entry crop into OSR grassweed control.

The UK's maritime climate continues to support winter barley production across a wide range of soil types and growing conditions. With harvest data now becoming available from both AHDB and Frontier trials, growers can begin to assess how current varieties are performing and where they may fit within their farming system.

Looking beyond yield

Winter barley is often valued for the opportunities it creates elsewhere in the rotation.

Earlier harvest can provide greater flexibility when establishing following crops and may help spread workload during a busy period. It can also create additional opportunities for cultivation and stale seedbed strategies, supporting wider grassweed management objectives.

These rotational benefits are often an important consideration when reviewing drilling plans, alongside varietal performance and market opportunities.

Conventional varieties continue to perform strongly

Conventional winter barley remains a popular choice for many growers, with a range of varieties offering strong combinations of yield, grain quality and reliability.

Within the malting sector, Buccaneer continues to attract interest through its strong untreated yield performance and suitability for early drilling, particularly in eastern regions. Craft remains a familiar choice, valued for its consistency, grain quality and established market acceptance.

Among the feed varieties, LG Caravelle continues to perform strongly in the challenging 2026 season, combining high yield potential with excellent specific weight. KWS Tardis remains a dependable option, particularly on heavier soils, while KWS Valencis offers another high-yielding alternative, particularly where lighter land is involved.

Conventional varieties at a glance

Buccaneer (2-row conventional malting)

• Suitable for early drilling from early September

• Highest untreated yields of the 2-row winter malting sector

• Taller strawed but stiff with good brackling resistance (5%)

• Best yield potential in the east

Craft (2-row conventional malting)

• Suitable for early drilling from early September

• Tried and tested favourite of the malting industry

• Bold grain with high specific weights

• Consistent yields over sites and seasons

LG Caravelle (2-row conventional feed)

• Suitable for drilling from mid-September onwards

• Great combination of yield and grain quality

• One of the best specific weights (71.7kg/hl) with low screenings

• Good disease package

KWS Tardis (2-row conventional feed)

• Suitable for drilling from mid-September onwards

• Farm favourite thanks to twin 8s for standing

• Good grain with decent specific weights

• Consistent yielder over locations and seasons. Performs well on heavy land

KWS Valencis (2-row conventional feed)

• Suitable for drilling from mid-September onwards

• Similar high-yielding option to LG Caravelle

• High untreated yields

• Best performances on light land with twin 7s for standing

Where hybrid barley may fit

Hybrid barley has been part of UK rotations for more than 20 years and continues to offer a different set of agronomic characteristics to conventional varieties.

Hybrid vigour supports the development of a larger rooting system, helping crops access moisture and nutrients more effectively. Combined with greater above-ground biomass, this can contribute to both yield performance and crop competitiveness.

For growers managing grassweed pressure, hybrid barley can provide an additional tool within the rotation. Increased crop competitiveness can help suppress blackgrass and can also play a role in managing brome and ryegrass populations as part of an integrated approach.

Hybrid varieties to watch

The introduction of new genetics continues to strengthen the hybrid barley market.

SY Barnabus, a new entrant on the 2026/27 Recommended List, has attracted attention as the highest-yielding winter barley currently available on the list. Alongside strong untreated yield performance and high specific weights, it will require careful attention to straw management.

Inys, the first six-row hybrid barley from KWS, has delivered strong results, particularly in western regions, while combining high yield potential with excellent straw stiffness.

Established varieties such as SY Kingsbarn continue to offer consistent performance across a range of situations, while SY Kestrel provides additional flexibility through its BYDV resistance and wider drilling window.

Hybrid varieties at a glance

SY Barnabus (6-row conventional feed)

• Suitable for drilling from mid-September onwards

• Highest yielding winter barley on the 2026/27 Recommended List

• Good untreated yields and high specific weight

• Watch straw strength carefully, with PGR timings critical

Inys (6-row conventional feed)

• Suitable for drilling from mid-September onwards

• First 6-row hybrid barley from KWS

• High yields with best performances in the west (107%)

• Super stiff strawed with low brackling scores

SY Kingsbarn (6-row conventional feed)

• Suitable for drilling from mid-September onwards

• Consistently good yields

• Good specific weights with low screenings

SY Kestrel (6-row conventional feed)

• Suitable for drilling from early September onwards

• BYDV resistance and WDV tolerance

• Wider drilling window than traditional hybrid barleys

• Good yields across regions, with best performances in BYDV hotspots

What we are seeing in trials

Harvest results from both AHDB and Frontier trials are beginning to provide an indication of variety performance across different regions.

Early AHDB data, which will contribute towards the 2027/28 Recommended List, suggests that the highest-performing hybrids, led by SY Barnabus, continue to hold a slight yield advantage. However, leading conventional feed varieties, particularly LG Caravelle, remain highly competitive while maintaining strong specific weights.

Within Frontier's Swallow trial, SY Barnabus delivered the strongest performance among the hybrid entries. In the conventional malting category, Buccaneer recorded higher yields than Craft, while LG Capitol and LG Caravelle were among the leading feed varieties.

Specific weights ranged from 62.4kg/hl to 72.3kg/hl, with Kitty recording the highest figure in the trial. All two-row feed varieties out-yielded the six-row conventional varieties Integral and KWS Feeris.

Among candidate varieties, SY Fisher delivered the strongest hybrid yield performance, closely followed by conventional two-row candidate KWS Lemuris, which has the benefit of BYDV tolerance.

Planning for autumn drilling

As variety decisions are made ahead of drilling, there is a broad range of conventional and hybrid options available to suit different farming systems and rotational requirements.

Trial results continue to reinforce the importance of matching variety choice to individual farm priorities, whether that is market opportunity, drilling date, grassweed management, straw characteristics or overall rotational fit. Reviewing independent trial data alongside local experience remains key to identifying the varieties best suited to each situation.

To find out more about the products and services mentioned in this article, speak to your Frontier advisor or contact us directly on 0800 227 445 or info@frontierag.co.uk