Agrovista Seeds monitors new varieties as they come to market talking to breeders and trialling them for performance and manageability.
Nissaba is the first Group 1 wheat that offers October drilling, with yield and disease resistance better than current Group 1 members.
Nissaba has a wide drilling window from early October through to the end of April. When sown in October breeder trials have given a yield averaged across three years equal to KWS Zyatt and marginally better than Skyfall.
- An alternative wheat recommended by AHDB with Group 1 milling capability and and OWBM resistance
- Breeder trials have given yields equal to KWS Zyatt and Skyfall when October drilled
- Disease trials for yellow rust have indicated that Nissaba may not be susceptible to the same strains as Zyatt/Skyfall offering new opportunity to combat this disease on farm
One of the key issues affecting both market leaders KWS Zyatt and Skyfall is yellow rust resistance. With RL resistance ratings as low as ‘3’ and susceptibility at seedling and adult stage, each risks severe infection unless comprehensively treated with a fungicide.
Nissaba does succumb to the disease too, but this tends to be much later in the season and in trials has not developed the characteristic yellow pustules through winter when the pathogen is visibly active on its rivals. The breeder John Blackman makes the following comment:
“For the last three years Nissaba autumn sown has not had over wintering yellow rust whereas KWS Zyatt and Skyfall have been severely infected, as have most susceptible varieties including KWS Cochise.”
In harvest 2022 season, spring-sown breeder trials remained totally clean until mid-grain-fill where other lines were dead, as were autumn sown untreated plots of KWS Zyatt and Skyfall.
“There are two possible conclusions we can draw from these findings – either Nissaba is resistant through to maturity but then becomes notably susceptible, which would be unprecedented among varieties and so highly unlikely, or that it is not susceptible to the same strains that are affecting its
competitors” concludes Mr Blackman.
Nissaba is of similar height to both KWS Zyatt and Skyfall, has good Septoria tritici resistance and an improved brown rust resistance to KWS Zyatt. Nissaba has an added bonus like Skyfall in that it is Orange Wheat Blossom Midge resistant and can match Skyfall’s drilling window too with minimal
vernalisation requirement.
Bread quality
Nissaba has been tested as part of the National List Flour Milling Variety Working Group testing for all quality varieties pre AHDB Recommended List and given a Group 1 result. Further breeder tests undertaken on produce from both winter and spring drilled crops have achieved ‘very good’ and ‘excellent’ white loaf bakes.
*Spring RL data, Brackett Values give guidance on comparative agronomic values based on commercial observations and Agrovista trial performance.
