Thriplow, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
16 July 2025
As many as one in four wheat crops sown in autumn 2025 could be one of the new KWS wheat varieties added to the AHDB Recommended List (RL) for the first time this year.
Seven new KWS winter wheat varieties were included in the 2025/26 RL with demand from growers and trade alike suggesting 20-25% of this year's winter wheat area could be down to the new varieties, KWS wheat UK product manager Olivia Bacon says.
Olivia Bacon, KWS wheat UK product manager
"This is quite an achievement for such new varieties, we've worked hard to make sure we have good supplies of seed available, and interest has been significant across all Groups.
"The new Group 1 milling variety KWS Vibe, Group 2 KWS Arnie, Group 3 KWS Solitaire and Group 4 KWS Scope have been particularly popular.
Group 2 KWS Arnie
"Alongside established farm favourites such as KWS Extase and KWS Dawsum, we expect 40% of all winter wheat sown this year to be KWS varieties."
With its excellent combination of yield, disease resistance and grain quality, KWS Vibe is set to make its mark on UK milling wheat production which has faced a challenging couple of years, she says.
Group 1 milling variety KWS Vibe
“Vibe has had a great reception from growers and millers with its high protein production potential and consistent yield performance across the rotation and different growing conditions.
"With the best combination of protein and yield available in Group 1 plus a strong agronomic package, we expect KWS Vibe to account for around 6% of the winter wheat area this year rising to potentially 10% for 2026.”
Big hitters
Group 2 KWS Arnie is expected to take 5.5% of this year's winter wheat area rising to 9% next year while Group 3 Solitaire current sits at 3.5% with the potential to increase to 5% in 2026, Olivia believes.
"Group 4 KWS Scope is the other big hitter with its predicted 6.5% market share this year expected to rise to 10% next year.
"It's the highest yielding variety on the current RL at 108% of controls and fills the need for a dependable barn filler with good grain quality and high specific weight of 78.9 kg/hl, making it a highly marketable option.
"KWS Scope's RL yield rises to 111% in West plus it's got a high untreated yield on par with the best in the Group with strong agronomics across the board with orange wheat blossom midge (OWBM) resistance too.”
The company’s other new varieties – KWS Equipe, KWS Newbie and KWS Flute - will contribute to additional market share – putting KWS in a dominant position for their new winter wheat additions.
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