Cereal of the century

These are illustrious names for cereal breeders in the UK: Capelle-Desprez, Hereward, Riband and Consort (wheat) and Maris Otter, Golden Promise and Pearl (barley). “But the variety that stood out was Robigus,” said Bill Clark, Technical Director of the British plant genetics research organization NIAB when he presented its Centenary Cereals Cup to KWS UK’s Managing Director Andrew Newby and wheat breeder Mark Dodds – for the most influential variety of the past 100 years.

Exceptional variety

The prestige of the Cereals Cup as an award for outstanding quality is reflected in the fact that NIAB does not present it every year, but only if there are results that are worthy of this recognition. “It takes a truly exceptional variety to win,” said Bill Clark.

The current accolade is also something special: To mark the 100th anniversary of the research organization, three jury members not only considered varieties from one year, but from a whole century.

They assessed them in terms of agronomic value, market influence and lasting impact, most notably in their use in plant breeding programs. Robigus was the clear winner “because of the legacy it has left as a successful parent,” said Bill Clark at the award ceremony.

Quality is reflected in numbers

KWS’ Managing Director Andrew Newby can underscore its quality with numbers. “There have been many good and some excellent varieties over the past 100 years, but none can match the contribution Robigus has made to variety progression.” To put that into context: 40 of the 80 recommended varieties since 2014 trace back to Robigus.

Breeder Mark Dodds explains: “Many good varieties simply don’t combine well, but Robigus did and had many desirable characteristics: It produced high yields, plenty of tillers, high numbers of grains per ear and large grains. We describe this as good plasticity of yield attributes because they underline consistent performances.”

The clear winner

By way of comparison: Robigus achieved yields of about four percent higher than both Claire and Consort, and it was also the first high-yielding variety to feature resistance to orange wheat blossom midge. Its larvae cause abnormal growths on plants.

Successor varieties from Oakley to KWS Santiago to KWS Kerrin and KWS Kinetic (a candidate for the Recommended List of the Agricultural and Horticulture Development Board (HGCA) all demonstrate this plasticity of yield attributes. As Mark Dodds notes: “So it seems the Robigus legacy will continue for many years to come.” |