AHDB is set to shed light on how varieties are selected for the Recommended Lists (RL) for cereals and oilseeds at a winter wheat trial site in Norfolk.

Farmers and growers will be able to follow the entire process, from planting to next year’s harvest, with expert commentary provided throughout.

This trial has been organised in response to feedback from the latest RL review, where farmers requested more transparency around variety trials.

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Situated near The Wash in Norfolk, the site is one of 31 UK winter wheat fungicide-treated yield trials sown for harvest in 2025. The trial includes 35 recommended and 15 candidate varieties, replicated across 150 plots.

Paul Gosling, AHDB RL manager, explained that the goal is to explain how one of the UK’s most intricate winter wheat crops is grown.

"From deciding which varieties to sow to recommendation decisions, we will bring the processes that underpin the RL trial system to life," he said. "It will give RL users greater confidence in the data and a better understanding of why we take certain approaches."

Ahead of planting on October 7, 2024, several tillage operations—including subsoiling, tine cultivation, and power harrowing—were conducted on the site’s silty soils.

In the initial months, the focus will be on how varieties are selected for drilling and the methods used to design and establish the trials. The initiative will also explain trial agronomy, assessments, harvest, and how data informs recommendation decisions.

Mark Bollebakker, senior field trials manager at AHDB, will provide updates and commentary throughout the growing season.