Germinal’s research and innovation division, Germinal Horizon, has had another excellent year, with two new Aber High Sugar Grass (HSG) varieties reaching the 2024/25 Recommended Grass and Clover List (RGCL).
AberTweed and AberForth join other highly rated Germinal varieties such as AberGain, AberSpey, AberThames and AberSevern.
AberTweed – Aber HSG
A new intermediate PRG diploid, AberTweed has a heading date of 29th May. Under grazing management, AberTweed is the top performer for yield at 107%, D-value at 79.9, and metabolisable energy (ME) at 111%. This underlines that Aber HSG varieties deliver on quality and yield.
What also stands out is the strong 70% ground cover under grazing, proving its performance will last many years. As for disease resistance, AberTweed ranks as the most resistant intermediate PRG diploid to drechslera at 7.1 and scores very well for crown rust resistance (6.2).
AberForth – Aber HSG
Germinal’s second new entry on the RGCL is AberForth, appearing among the late PRG tetraploids. With a 1st June heading date, AberForth is one of the earliest in the category, combining well with AberTweed in a grass ley.
Rated high for D-value with 78.0, this productive variety has a grazing yield of 101% and ME yield of 102%. For seasonal performance, AberForth is the best in the category for early grazing yield (111%) and spring growth (110%).
Climate smart performance
Commenting, Dr Joanna Matthews, Technical Trials Manager at Germinal Horizon, said: “AberTweed and AberForth have performed very well as part of the long-term, multi-location trial programme that underpins the RGCL.
“Germinal Horizon’s long-term breeding programme is focused on developing a pipeline of top-performing and climate smart products for grassland farmers.”
Aber HSG varieties like AberTweed and AberForth are bred to help livestock be more energy efficient, capturing more protein from grass and emitting fewer harmful ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions.
Bred for sustainability, Aber HSG varieties are also high-yielding, high-quality forages that can drive meat and milk production. This is validated by the performance of AberTweed and AberForth on the latest RGCL.
You can find out more about AberTweed, AberForth and other Germinal varieties by viewing the 2024/25 Recommended Grass and Clover List.
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