Latest Group 1 developments offer new opportunities for milling wheat growers

After relatively few developments in Group 1 over recent years, the introduction of new high-protein genetics could give milling wheat growers increased opportunities in the future, says Agrii Seed Key Account and Performance Manager, Ian Davy.

Increased nitrogen efficiency, better disease resistance and consistent yield performance could help offset higher input costs and allow growers to take advantage of the current £20-£30/t premium for milling wheat over feed, he says.

“A variety’s ability to achieve optimum milling specification without yield dilution, while making full use of every kg of nitrogen applied, is key to making a profit with milling wheat, especially with higher fertiliser prices.

“But of growing importance is its overall disease resistance and general resilience in the face of reduced agronomic opportunities, rising input costs and increasingly variable growing conditions.

“All of these can have a significant effect on final margins, so the days of being able to tolerate a few weaknesses in a variety because of its protein potential are disappearing.”

New high-protein genetics in Group 1 wheat

With this in mind, Ian expects it to be a significant year for KWS Vibe, which gained full milling wheat approval last year. This could be at the expense of some of the more established names in Group 1.

“KWS Vibe tops the protein production table on the latest Recommended List, with the best combination of yield and milling wheat protein specification, and this has been backed up in Agrii trials.

“Its excellent grain quality includes a high Hagberg Falling Number (HFN) of 294, a strong specific weight of 78.6kg/hl and milling specification protein content of 13.4%.

“In Agrii trials, we’ve seen Vibe producing over 14.5% protein at the same time as other Group 1s struggling to get much more than 13.0% from the same fertiliser regime.”

KWS Vibe combines premium breadmaking quality with full UKFM Group 1 approval, while also delivering high outright and untreated yields at 97% and 88% respectively.

It also has best-in-class yellow rust resistance at 8, robust Septoria resistance of 6.5 and mildew resistance of 7. Ian says these have all been confirmed by data from Agrii variety trials across the country.

KWS Vibe combines grain quality with agronomic resilience

In Agrii Variety Sustainability Ratings (VSR), KWS Vibe scores highly based on parameters such as foliar disease resistance, lodging, yield resilience and consistency.

“KWS Vibe is a true all-rounder, delivering reliable results across heavy and light soil types and UK regions, with its relatively slow development making it a good option for earlier drilling.

“It also has potential as a second wheat with PCH1 eyespot resistance and only shows a small drop in relative performance from its first wheat performance.”

DSV Arlington adds another Group 1 option

DSV Arlington, added to the latest 2026/27 Recommended List and gaining full Group 1 approval this spring, is another new high-quality hard Group 1 milling wheat to watch, Ian adds.

“It’s going to be in short supply this year, but it is proving to have that all-important combination of good milling wheat performance and a robust agronomic package.

“We see it as a potential replacement for Skyfall due to its similar but improved disease resistance, especially against yellow rust.

“It offers a high specific weight of around 79.3kg/hl and a stable Hagberg Falling Number of 309s, giving it excellent bread-making potential and ukp export potential.”

DSV Arlington does not have quite the same protein potential as KWS Vibe, with official milling trials reporting a protein content of 12.5%, although DSV’s own trials put this at 13.5%. This is supported by good outright and untreated yields at 99% and 94% of controls respectively.

Strong disease resistance and drilling flexibility

Resistance to yellow rust is good at 7 on the Recommended List, although Agrii trials put this slightly higher at 8. DSV Arlington also has good resistance to mildew at 6 and Septoria tritici at 7, Ian points out.

“It performs as both a first and second wheat, with the best performance seen in the East and West regions, although trials suggest it is more suited to heavier land.

“Its low vernalisation requirement provides a wide drilling window, which is particularly useful for late autumn and winter sowings. It also features short, stiff straw with good lodging resistance and no reported lodging issues in trials.

“It achieves the ‘highest’ VSR score, which is a strong performance for a milling wheat.”

Skyfall still has a place on farm

Although now falling behind these new-generation milling wheats, particularly in outright yield potential and agronomics, Skyfall is still a variety Agrii believes has a role to play on farm.

“It has been a consistent performer over the years and is very farm friendly with a wide drilling window, although it does need careful monitoring in the field, particularly with regard to its yellow rust susceptibility.

“But it remains a versatile variety suitable for all areas of the UK, with late-drill flexibility up until the end of March, stiff straw and early maturity. It is widely accepted by UK millers and often finds its way into export cargoes.”

Choosing Group 1 varieties for margin and resilience

For milling wheat growers, variety choice is increasingly about balancing specification, yield, nitrogen efficiency and agronomic strength.

With input costs remaining a pressure and disease management becoming more complex, new Group 1 varieties such as KWS Vibe and DSV Arlington offer growers the opportunity to target milling premiums while building more resilience into their wheat choices.