FRUK Manager (7)
Mike Lee (4)
Importance of the Recommended List
Nearly there! The recommended list is about to be published – still the highlight of the seedsman’s year.
While the recommended list has its faults (in common with all trials!) And while we, as breeders, sometimes ‘regret’ the decisions made (see ‘Breeders decisions’ in this blog) it is, at least, an independent source of data.
The list gives data over a number of years, and a number of sites across the UK. Varieties that do well, both North and South, can generally be considered to be very reliable across a wide range of weather and field conditions -and most farmers tell me they want consistent performance from crops, not boom or bust. Be wary of varieties that only feature in one region, and very vary of those that aren’t on the list at all!
The thing to remember is that everyone is biased – I want you to plant my varieties, all those others want you to plant theirs, and all merchants selling to farmers have a view of what they are selling based on their own position/relationship with each breeder – there are many sources of information available to farmers, and some are less reliable than others , making variety choice from biased sources is a dangerous game to play.
You, the UK’s farmers, are paying for the recommended list – so use it!
Saving...
Add a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.