Wheat yellow rust watch list

Based on Recommended Lists (RL) results, the wheat yellow rust watch list can reveal varieties that performed out of line with their RL disease resistance ratings at some trial sites. Use the list to help understand disease risk and focus in-season management.

What is the watch list?

RL disease resistance ratings use a simple scale – from 1 (least resistant) to 9 (most resistant).

The ratings reflect average yellow rust levels/resistance on adult plants (after growth stage 55) in trials.

However, rust populations are highly variable, with large variations across sites and seasons. This means that these averages can mask relatively poor varietal performance at some trial sites.

Relatively poor performance could be due to uncommon/new rust strains that may spread in subsequent seasons.

The watch list is based on disease levels at the three worst-performing trial sites for yellow rust (one-year data set).

It uses an improved method (since 2026) to calculate worst-case-scenario virtual disease ratings at these sites (not published), which are then used to order the watch lists.

The closer the worst-case-scenario rating aligns with the current RL disease rating, the higher the variety ranks on the watch list (and vice versa).

Watch list category descriptions

Three categories are used to describe variety performance.

Highest alignment (H)

Varieties in this group showed a relatively close alignment between the RL disease resistance rating and the worst-case-scenario rating. Varieties in this group performed most consistently across sites.

Medium alignment (M)

Varieties in this group showed weaker alignment between the RL disease resistance rating and the worst-case-scenario rating. Monitor these varieties regularly.

Lowest alignment (L)

Varieties in this group showed a relatively poor alignment between the RL disease resistance rating and the worst-case-scenario rating. The variety at the bottom showed the lowest alignment. Monitor these varieties frequently.

The yellow rust watch list (RL 2026/27)

Published: 12 March 2026

Watch list category	Variety (RL 2026/27)	Yellow rust disease resistance rating (RL 2026/27)
Highest alignment	KWS Vibe	8
Highest alignment	RGT Illustrious	8
Highest alignment	KWS Arnie	7
Highest alignment	RGT Guardsman	7
Highest alignment	KWS Aintree	3
Highest alignment	KWS Fowlmere	5
Highest alignment	LG Defiance	8
Highest alignment	KWS Scope	4
Highest alignment	LG Redwald	6
Highest alignment	SY Insitor	4
Highest alignment	KWS Flute	7
Highest alignment	KWS Grebe	6
Highest alignment	Arlington	7
Highest alignment	KWS Extase	7
Highest alignment	KWS Palladium	6
Highest alignment	Graham	8
Highest alignment	LG Typhoon	5
Highest alignment	KWS Equipe	7
Highest alignment	SY Cheer	6
Highest alignment	RGT Goldfinch	9
Highest alignment	KWS Zyatt	3
Highest alignment	Mayflower	4
Highest alignment	Bamford	6
Highest alignment	LG Beowulf	4
Highest alignment	Sparkler	7
Highest alignment	KWS Dawsum	5
Highest alignment	LG Challenger	7
Medium alignment	KWS Solitaire	6
Medium alignment	Champion	4
Medium alignment	Blackstone	5
Medium alignment	Crusoe	7
Medium alignment	Skyfall	3
Lowest alignment	KWS Zealum	8
Lowest alignment	LG Shergar	6
Lowest alignment	RGT Hexton	8

Important notes

The three worst-performing sites have the highest level of disease relative to the trial mean for a specific variety in the most recent trial year.

Some alignment categories may not be used when the virtual disease ratings align reasonably well with the actual RL disease ratings at the worst-performing trial sites.

Varieties with relatively low RL disease ratings can feature high up the watch list, if they perform close to expected (and vice versa).

Varieties susceptible at the young plant stage may need yellow rust treatment during the T0–T2 fungicide period, even if they have a high level of adult plant resistance (ratings 8 or 9).

Crop monitoring

Monitor varieties towards the bottom of the watch list particularly closely (especially if they have a relatively high RL disease rating) and treat with rust-active fungicides (when disease pressure merits it).

The watch lists provide insights into possible changes in varietal susceptibility in the following season. However, as they are based on rust populations in the previous season, they can not predict all situations, such as the emergence of new strains within a growing season (such as what happened with yellow rust in the 2024/25 growing season).

As the situation can change rapidly, it is important to monitor all varieties closely and report unusual disease levels to the UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS)

While AHDB makes every effort to ensure data accuracy, it is impossible to eliminate all errors. Due to the restricted number of trials considered in the watch list, anomalous results will have a disproportionate effect on the categorisations, compared with the effect on the main RL rating.

For overall varietal risk, use the main RL rating.