Barenbrug and AFBI: A strong partnership

Barenbrug UK has been part of a highly successful grass breeding partnership with AFBI in Northern Ireland since 1991. Over that period, AFBI grass breeder David Johnston has seen 46 varieties get added onto UK recommended lists. Through this work, AFBI has gained a reputation as one of the most prolific grass breeding organisations of the last 25 years.

In the past two decades, the work of David and the team at AFBI has helped increase grass yields by around 0.5% per annum, with evidence showing that there have also been gains made in digestibility and disease resistance.

Cropvale has played a major role in this work, with most of the Barenbrug / AFBI varieties available on the list today monitored at the site during their development. As we celebrate ten years of Cropvale we are pleased to say that the productivity of the Barenbrug-AFBI partnership looks set to continue over the next decade.

The table opposite highlights, the 26 new varieties currently in official trials at Cropvale and at our other joint trials sites in the UK, having gone through the Barenbrug Development process.

The development and ongoing analysis of these new candidate varieties means our partnership is set to bring new grasses to market every year up to 2025 - while we continue to develop and submit new varieties annually, in the background.

Early perennial ryegrass (diploid)

Moyola

Intermediate perennial ryegrass (diploid)

Moira

Glenariff

Copeland

Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass (tetraploid)

Malone

Fintona

Seagoe

Dunluce

Caledon

Late Perennial Ryegrass (diploid)

Tyrella

Clanrye

Glenarm

Drumbo

Late Perennial Ryegrass (tetraploid)

Dunloy

Dundrum

Navan

Successful Science.

New recommendations in production for coming years:

Glasker – Early PRG (diploid)

Gosford & Galgorm – Intermediate PRG (diploid)

Barimax – Italian ryegrass (tetraploid)

Barclamp – Hybrid ryegrass (diploid)

Callan – Late PRG (diploid)

Ballintoy – Late PRG (tetraploid)

Bannfoot – Hybrid Ryegrass (tetraploid)

Also available from the Barenbrug Group:

Baritmo – Westerwold

Barspectra II – Westerwold

Barmultra II – Italian ryegrass (tetraploid)

Barsilo – Hybrid ryegrass (diploid)