Aleksandra has the best untreated yield of any 2-row winter barley thus far nationally trialed within the UK in recent history, with one of the highest specific weight values ever recorded. It is moderately taller than most winter 2-row feed types giving straw yields any livestock farmer would be delighted with.
Aleksandra is a two-row feed barley with exceptional disease resistance and the highest untreated yield and specific weight of any variety of its time in official trials
Untreated yield highest of any variety three years running
Medium to long strawed perfectly suited to livestock farmers - easy to manage feed variety with max straw yield
PGR recommended
Grain quality
There is a direct link between Aleksandra's disease resistance and its superb specific weight. Unlike wheat where yield is reliant on a disease-free leaf one and two, in barley earlier infections pre-GS31 are more important. These can reduce photosynthetic area, restrict tillering and result inlower yields. Foliar disease infections after GS 39 can result in smaller grains and higher screenings. Nevertheless, in most situations fungicides will boost yield and keep crops healthy as they develop through growth stages and through canopy greening or growth regulatory effects.
One of the outstanding qualities of Aleksandra is its exceptionally high specific weight, in fact it has the highest specific weight of any winter barley trialled to date through the AHDB Variety (VL) and Recommended List (RL) candidacy trials, better than the previous best KWS Cassia with an additional 14% higher yield untreated. With high specific weight comes consistency of yield - whatever the weather yield is safeguarded by the genetic capability of the plant to build starch at maximum efficiency.
Aleksandra also has notably lower screenings than rival varieties, in fact the lowest screening losses of all winter barley varieties in RL trials 2023.
Standing ability
Aleksandra is a medium to long strawed variety that will benefit from a comprehensive plant growth regulator programme when following a break crop or grown in highly fertile situations. Official trials grown in the UK and Ireland have experienced various levels of lodging, but it is important to explain that variety trials are managed by average plant growth stage and therefore treatments may not be applied at their optimum time. Furthermore, trials specifically to assess lodging are generally grown in highly fertile situations and managed to maximise the risk of lodging occurring, following a break crop of peas by example. Where grown in a more typical winter barley situation, such as a second or third cereal or on lighter soils, then lodging has not been an issue.
"Bracketed data highlights a low number of trials in dataset and cannot be presumed accurate."