The AHDB Recommended Lists for cereals and oilseeds 2016–2021 (RL) project provides independent information about the performance of varieties. The project is the largest research investment by AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. Produced each year, the RL publication is based on the analysis of hundreds of UK trials conducted across several years.

The documents on these pages explain how the RL project is managed. It covers information on the trials and the decision-making process, including the reasons for adding and removing varieties from RL.

0 – RL Crop Committee Handbook

1 – Cereal trials protocol

2 – Winter oilseed rape trials protocol

3 – Early sown winter wheat trials protocol

4 – Spring linseed trials protocol

5 – Spring oilseed rape trials protocol

6 – Inoculated disease tests for cereals and winter oilseed rape protocol

7 – Special plots: Growth and development protocol

8 – Special plots: Assessment of winter wheat sterility (infertility) and shedding protocol

9 – Special plots: Spring barley high nitrogen plots for the production of grain for grain distilling tests protocol

10 – Special plots: Production of winter wheat and spring wheat grain samples for milling and baking tests protocol

11 – Winter barley and spring barley ear loss assessment plots protocol

12 – Assessment of sprouting in winter wheat and spring wheat varieties protocol

13 – Assessment of the vernalisation requirements of winter wheat and winter barley varieties protocol

14 – Market suitability predictive quality tests for cereals (except oats) and oil content of oilseed rape protocol

15 – Market suitability predictive quality tests for winter oats and spring oats

16 – Cereal trials sampling protocol

This video shows how disease severity is assessed in RL trials using a standardised scale (0 to 100 per cent)

The UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS) tests pathogen isolates to check their virulence against wheat and barley varieties. The testing can detect new races of cereal pathogens capable of causing disease on previously resistant cereal varieties.