05 March 2023, UK: SY SIGNET is a very exciting new spring malting barley from the Syngenta breeding programme. With high yields and farmer focused agronomics, SY SIGNET is being tested in multiple countries and forging a position across Europe, offering a potential export market for UK growers.
SY SIGNET joined the new 2023 AHDB Recommended List last autumn and is currently under test for brewing. In addition to high yields, SY SIGNET offers growers a robust agronomic package combined with solid grain quality. The very high Hot Water Extract of SY SIGNET brings significant benefits for the brewer too.
AHDB Recommended List 2023 data in summary:
UK treated yield 104.2%, higher than all the other fully MBC approved brewing varieties on the AHDB 2023 RL
Consistent yield performance across years and strong performance in the East (105%)
Very high untreated yields at 95% (as % of treated controls)
Robust disease package including a 9 for mildew, 5 for brown rust and [5] for Rhynchosporium
Excellent straw with very high [8] rating for lodging and 8 rating for brackling
Solid grain quality including a specific weight of 67.4 kg/hl
The second highest Hot Water Extract figure on the 2023 AHDB RL (314.9), beaten only by SY TENNYSON
The strong UK performance of SY SIGNET is now also being demonstrated in many other European countries. Testing in SYNGENTA’s pan-European trialling network first identified the wider potential of SY SIGNET outside the UK. Since that time SY SIGNET has been entered into the official variety registration trials in several European countries including Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Czech, Lithuania, and most recently, Austria and Finland. If successful in achieving wide European approval, we expect the development of a significant export market for SY SIGNET in the future, offering UK growers a further potential outlet for their grain.
An excellent malting profile
SY SIGNET is now being tested by the MBC. Along with high yields and robust agronomics, SY SIGNET has an excellent malting profile for brewing having gone green in official UK micro-malting tests. It will proceed through the MBC testing in the UK to gain approval for brewing in the next few years and continue its exciting development path across Europe.
