Belgravia, a new spring malting barley bred by Nickerson, has received full approval from the Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD), while Concerto, another of the company’s spring malting varieties, has been granted provisional approval.

Belgravia, which has produced very high yields and good specific weight in the UK’s major malting barley growing areas, joins Nickerson’s other fully-approved spring malting barley varieties, Decanter, Oxbridge and Westminster. Medium-early to mature, Belgravia has a high Hot Water Extract, very low levels of Glycosidic Nitrile and good enzyme activity, making it suitable for both malt and grain distilling. The variety also features medium-length straw combined with good lodging and brackling resistance, excellent resistance to mildew and Rhynchosporium, plus good resistance to brown rust. In Scottish trials Belgravia has also demonstrated very good resistance to Ramularia and excellent green leaf retention.

Concerto is an ideal malting variety, its very high Hot Water Extract, low grain nitrogen and very low levels of Glycosidic Nitrile making it very attractive to the brewing and distilling sectors. Medium-early in terms of maturity, it combines very high yield potential with a good all-round agronomic package that has no significant weaknesses. Evaluation suggests that, like Optic, this variety accumulates grain nitrogen at low levels and has particular malting characteristics which will make it highly suitable for both these sectors. Offering good resistance to lodging and brackling, Concerto has excellent resistance to mildew and is similar to Optic in terms of its resistance to Rhynchosporium and brown rust.

Lee Robinson, Nickerson’s Arable Marketing Manager, commented:

“Belgravia will increase the number of marketing opportunities available to growers in the malt and grain distilling sectors. However, in order to capitalise on these they must be aware of local market requirements, decide which to aim for and manage the crop to meet the required specifications. Belgravia will mostly be grown in Scotland, where the market for spring malting barley during 2008 amounted to approximately 750,000 tonnes. Of that approximately 90% was used for malt distilling, where the current requirement is for grain nitrogen of less than 1.55%, the remainder being for grain distilling, which requires grain nitrogen of over 1.85%.

“The industry has been looking for an Optic replacement for some time, but Concerto is the first true dual-purpose variety to meet the requirements of both sectors. The variety has been very well received and consumers have even contacted us to request samples for commercial testing which from a breeder’s viewpoint is very encouraging and highlights its market potential. This year, 4000 to 5000 tonnes of Concerto will be used in UK brewing and distilling trials. The variety has also been provisionally approved by CMBO, the French equivalent of the IBD.”

Nickerson is a leading breeder of spring barley and the barley breeding team, led by Mark Glew, has an excellent record track record of producing successful varieties for many different markets. Although the programme is UK-based, it has a very European flavour, being designed to develop and select varieties for key European countries, including the UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden and Spain.

Technical and Marketing Guides which provide full details of Belgravia and Concerto are available from the Nickerson Marketing Department on 01472 370151, or email enquiries@nickerson.co.uk. They can also be downloaded from the Nickerson website www.nickersonseeds.co.uk by clicking on the appropriate variety page.

FOR FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Laura Davey, Nickerson on 01472 370151
Julian Cooksley, Kendalls Communications on 01394 610022