Recommended Lists (RL) winter wheat goes on trial

We are demystifying the Recommended Lists for cereals and oilseeds (RL) through the lens of a single trial site.

The winter wheat on trial initiative responds to the most recent RL review, which saw levy payers ask for more information about the variety trials, including how they operate and how recommendation decisions are made.

The initiative describes the journey to harvest 2025 at a winter wheat trial site in Norfolk.

Paul Gosling, AHDB RL Manager, said:

“We are telling the story of how we grow one of the UK’s most complex winter wheat crops.

"From deciding which varieties to sow to recommendation decisions, we will bring the processes that underpin the RL trial system to life.

"It will give RL users greater confidence in the data and a better understanding of why we take certain approaches.”

Located in Norfolk, near The Wash, the trial is one of 31 dedicated UK winter wheat fungicide-treated yield trials sown for harvest 2025.

The trial site features 35 recommended and 15 candidate varieties, replicated three times across 150 variety plots.

Several tillage operations (subsoiling, tine cultivations and power harrowing) were carried out on the site’s silty soils before the trial was planted on 7 October 2024.

In the first few months, the initiative will focus on how varieties are selected for drilling and the approach taken to design and establish the trials.

The initiative will also describe:

• Trial agronomy
• Trial assessment and harvest
• How trial data is used to make recommendation decisions

Mark Bollebakker, a Senior Field Trials Manager at AHDB, will provide site commentary throughout the growing season. 

A dedicated web page features initial information, including graphics that show how winter wheat sites are distributed across the UK and how the trials are set up: ahdb.org.uk/rl-trials

The RL has delivered trusted, independent variety information since 1944.

It currently involves several hundred trials each year, spread from Cornwall to Aberdeenshire, and delivers annually updated variety data for 11 crops in recommended and descriptive lists.

• Number of trial plots = 24,735
• Length of plots (combined) = 293 km (almost London to York)
• Width of plots (combined) = 47 km (almost Coventry to Worcester)
• Plot area (combined) = 54.4 ha (75 Wembley football pitches)

Note: Figures based on AHDB-funded RL trials for harvest 2023.

We have committed almost £10m to the current five-year RL project phase (2021–26). However, the total project cost, which includes cash and in-kind contributions from breeders and processors, is closer to £25m.

In this video, Mark Bollebakker provides the first update from the trial site shortly after the winter wheat varieties were drilled. 

How do we produce the #RecommendedLists❓ Our new winter wheat on trial initiative is here to explain!

We take you behind the scenes at a trial site, to discover more about variety selection & the trial data with insights from our experts.

Follow along👉 https://t.co/6lpTC9B1br pic.twitter.com/ZlH4cOyAMa

— AHDB Cereals (@AHDB_Cereals) October 21, 2024