Sparkler

✚ A high yielding soft wheat and positive for distilling

✚ Wide drilling window - suitable for earlier and later drilling

Variety Positioning

• Sparkler is a high-yielding Group 4 soft winter wheat variety, bred by Elsoms specifically for the UK market.

• It demonstrates high yield potential (106% treated, 87% untreated), with a treated yield of 108% reported in the North in AHDB trials, albeit based on limited data.  

• The variety possesses desirable grain characteristics, including bold grain (78.6kg/hl), a high Hagberg Falling Number (HFN) of 216s, and a positive rating for distilling, which may generate interest.

• It faces competition from Solitaire, an established variety that is a year ahead in the market and also highly rated for distilling purposes.

• Sparkler is a flexible variety, performing well across all soil types.

• It is suitable for flexible drilling, accommodating earlier autumn sowings as well as later sowings extending through to late November and potentially beyond. 

• It has tall straw (92 cm) but maintains relative stiffness (7 treated, 6 untreated) and reaches medium maturity (+1).

• The absence of Orange Wheat Blossom Midge resistance is not a concern for Northern growers.

• Disease resistance figures for brown rust (4 RL; 4 Agrii) may raise some concern in England and compare unfavourably to varieties like Bamford and Solitaire. 

• It has average resistance to yellow rust (7 RL; 5 Agrii) and mildew (4.6) but is weak against eyespot (4). Its Septoria tritici resistance is considered reasonable (7 RL; 7 Agrii), and its Fusarium eye blight resistance appears good (6).

NOTE:
Numbers in bold – Agrii Advisory List data.
Numbers in standard text – AHDB Recommended List