Spring oats recommended list

Final spring oat RL harvest results for 2023 show yields above average, but late crops have suffered

Results from all of the spring oat RL trials are now available. Though yields are above average, some late trials suffered from the wet end to harvest, with lodging and sprouting leading to trials being rejected.

Seven fungicide-treated trials have been validated in total, with two rejected. In these trials, the average yield of control varieties is 7.42 t/ha, just above the five-year average of 7.34 t/ha, boosted by late high-yielding trials in Cambridgeshire and Aberdeenshire.

The fungicide-untreated trials have done even better, with average yield of the control varieties at 7.53 t/ha well above the five-year average of 6.59t/ha. Though two trials were rejected.

Calculating yield results

Yields are represented as a percentage of the control varieties. In 2023 Aspen, Canyon and WPB Isabel are the control varieties. The yield average from these varieties is represented as 100%.

2023 results

In the fungicide-treated trials WPB Isabel has finished as the highest yielding recommended variety (103%), followed by Merlin (102%), with WPB Isabel outperforming its five-year average. Aspen is on 100%, with Lion on 99%, both above their above its five-year average. In contrast, Canyon (98%), Conway (94%) and newly recommended variety RGT Vaughan (93%) have had a disappointing 2023, with all three percent below their five-year average.

Year 4 candidate husked variety Asterion on 103%, with fellow year 4 candidate Zenith on 102%. Both varieties look to have reasonable grain quality and will be considered for recommendation in November. Year 3 candidate Caledon is on 104%, making it the highest yielding variety in 2023, but it will not be considered for recommendation until 2024.

Of the described naked oat varieties, Lennon and Oliver are on 73%, and Kamil is on 69%, but the naked oat variety market is different, and yield isn’t everything. Year 4 naked candidate variety Ovation is on 73% and will be considered for adding to the list as a Described variety in November.

In the fungicide-untreated trials, Merlin (108%) and Canyon (106%) are the top-yielding recommended varieties in 2023, with WPB Isabel some way behind on 101%, though the year 3 candidate Caledon is the standout variety on 113%. Year 4 candidate Asterion has performed well in these trials (106%) but the other year 4 candidate Zenith has not done so well (100%).

Lennon is highest yielding of the described naked varieties in fungicide-untreated trials (75%) with Oliver on 69%, and Kamil on 67%, with the year 4 candidate Ovation highest yielding on 77%.

Five-year average

The five-year average yield is a better measure of variety performance over seasons, especially with a crop like spring oats, with relatively few trials per year.

On this measure, the year 3 candidate Caledon is highest yielding in the fungicide-treated trials (107%), and it has low lodging. The year four candidate Zenith is on 105% with the other year 4 candidate Asterion is on 102%, but both varieties look to be somewhat susceptible to lodging. Highest yielding of the currently recommended varieties is Merlin (103%), with WPB Isabel and Canyon on 101%. Aspen (98%) and Lion and Conway (97%) and are a little behind these with newly recommended RGT Vaughan on 96%.

Of the naked varieties, Oliver is highest yielding (74%), followed by the year 4 candidate Ovation on 73%, with Lennon on 70% and Kamil on 68%.

In the fungicide-untreated trials, the year 3 husked candidate Caledon is again highest yielding (113%), with the year 4 candidate Asterion on 108% and Zenith on 100%. Of the currently recommended varieties, Merlin is highest yielding on 110% with Canyon on 108%. Newly recommended RGT Vaughan has done better in these fungicide-untreated trials on 103%.  In the naked varieties, Lennon is on 72%, Oliver is on 69% and Kamil is on 66%, with the year 4 naked candidate Ovation highest yielding on 76%.

Further information

Access full trial results via the AHDB website: ahdb.org.uk/harvestresults

AHDB Recommended Lists (RL) trials test variety performance under optimum conditions. Care should be taken when making comparisons with commercial yields. Results from individual trial sites should not be used to make conclusions on variety performance. The RL publications are based on information from trials across the UK over several seasons. As more information becomes available from the current harvest, this will contribute to the over-trials averages – which comprise four years for oilseeds and five years for cereals. These averages provide better information for comparison between varieties. Performance variation is not the responsibility of AHDB. Since the focus is to test new varieties, not all RL varieties are presented. Yields for well-established varieties are published at ahdb.org.uk/rl