DSV Oxford becomes the company’s latest British-bred hard Group 4 winter wheat to join the AHDB Recommended List with a performance very close to the highest yielder in the class DSV Champion, says DSV UK’s Sarah Hawthorne.
“DSV Oxford is another success of our Wardington-based breeding programme combining high treated and untreated yields with a robust disease package borne out of our breeding station’s relatively Westerly location.
“Our focus in recent years has been on balancing high outright yield potential with consistency of production and robust agronomics focused on giving UK producers an added layer of security in an increasingly difficult production environment.
“Recommended for the East and West region, DSV Oxford follows DSV Theodore, still the cleanest wheat on the new 2023/24 AHDB RL, and the highest yielding hard Group 4 winter wheat DSV Champion sitting neatly between them in terms of performance and agronomics.”
Excellent grain quality
As well as top tier yield performance, DSV Oxford is also a variety that excels when it comes to grain quality and in-field reliability, she points out.
“Its yield of 104% of controls sits just behind DSV Champion’s 106% with particularly strong performance seen in the West at 105% and a very strong overall untreated yield of 89%.
“Protein content is 11.3% which is exceptional for a such a high yielding Group 4 and specific weight is 76.0 kg/hl which is acceptable for this type of variety, particularly when taking into account its outright yield.
“On the disease resistance front, DSV Oxford scored one of the lowest incidences of Yellow rust in AHDB trials over recent years resulting in a 9 for Yellow rust resistance in the new RL.
“This is complimented by a sound overall agronomic package including 6s for Mildew and Fusarium resistance with the added benefit of OWBM resistance.”
According to DSV UK wheat breeder Dr. Matt Kerton, DSV Oxford is a genuine all rounder performing equally strongly in first or second wheat slots, early or late drilling scenarios and on heavy and light soil types.
“It’s a strong, well structured wheat standing at 85cm without PGRs so it’s going to be a tough contender in the more variable growing conditions now prevalent in the UK plus it will be an easy harvester, too.
“Wardington-bred varieties experience higher disease pressure than many others in the UK, so new wheat varieties emerging from it have greater exposure to more testing growing conditions and associated diseases.
Level of versatility
“This gives the Wardington-bred varieties a level of versatility and consistency of production that helps them perform to their full potential in both higher input systems and more regenerative ones.
“In AHDB trials over the last three very different growing seasons DSV Oxford has performed consistently within 1% of its full yield potential in all situations.
“It’s a great all-rounder and a strong addition to our portfolio of ‘breakthrough’ varieties, offering growers a reliable and rewarding wheat perfectly suited to modern conditions and markets.”
