Viscount

As the highest yielding soft wheat on the 2009/10 HGCA Recommended List, Viscount is set to become a market-leading export, distilling and bioethanol variety.

No. 1 for export

Backed by a yield that is 3% ahead of Alchemy and 4% in front of Robigus, Viscount is the highest yielding wheat suited for UK soft wheat exports.

It sits within the quality range required for branding, is acceptable for use in European soft wheat grists and has performed well in continental baking tests.

Data source: HGCA Recommended List 2009/10 for Winter Wheat

	W	P/L	Protein (%)
minimum specification	<=120	<=0.55	10.5-11.5
Viscount	78	0.3	11.3

No. 1 for distilling

No other soft wheat is higher yielding than Viscount in the HGCA Northern Region. With a large, bold bright grain that provides one of the highest alcohol extraction levels in SWRI trials, Viscount closely meets distiller needs.

Furthermore, with the emerging bioethanol market requiring high alcohol extraction, here again, Viscount closely meets these end-market needs.

No. 1 for pig and poultry feed

As a non 1B1R variety, Viscount is suitable for feeding to pigs and poultry. And with a yield that’s not significantly different from leading feed wheat Oakley, Viscount suits the UK’s feed needs as well.

Biscuit making

Due to some variable results from a difficult 2008 harvest, the decision as to whether Viscount should be labelled as NABIM Group 3 for biscuit and cake making cannot be made before autumn 2009. It is however, likely to find a home in some mills.

The UK’s highest yielding soft wheat

At 105% of control, Viscount is the highest yielding soft wheat on the HGCA Recommended List.

Viscount has moderate winter dormancy and is suited to sowing from mid-September onwards. It has good tillering ability and tiller retention.

Viscount is 6cm shorter than Robigus and has similar PGR requirements.

This is backed by a very strong disease resistance profile with good S. tritici and S. nodorum resistance complementing its excellent scores for both rust diseases.

Viscount is also resistant to Orange Wheat Blossom Midge and is unlikely to require specific treatment.

As with any premium wheat, Viscount should be given priority at harvest to protect sample quality, and be stored separately wherever possible.