Six new varieties of sugar beet have made it through stringent field trails to be accepted on the Recommended List 2018, after meeting the strict criteria.

The list is managed by the British Beef Research Organisation and the British Society of Plant Breeders, and to make the grade varieties have to be significantly better performing than others.

The new additions include Bloodhound, BTS 3325, Daphna, Degas, Landon and Senada KWS.

Mike May, chair of the RL Board, said: “To earn a place on the Recommended List the new varieties have to perform well over three years of field trials.

“We are testing the genetics which means the conditions need to be as uniform as possible across the plots for both the newcomers and the controls.

"The sites are on farms run by some of our best growers so we can see how the varieties perform under field conditions.”

Dr Simon Bowen, Knowledge Exchange and Crop Progression Lead of BBRO, said: "A long growing season will improve the yield and sugar concentration, but an early sowing increases the risk of bolting.

"The trials include a comparison between Early Sown Bolting and Normal Sown Bolting to see how a variety performs under severe conditions.

"The results mean that growers will be able to make an informed decision about the risk of bolting.”

Dr Mark Stevens, scientific and crop stability lead at BBRO, said: “Disease resistance to rust and powdery mildew is given a score based on percentage leaf infection.

"We have recently started conducting powdery mildew trials under controlled conditions to provide a reliable assessment of the plant’s resistance regardless of the disease risk for that season.

Colin MacEwan, head of BBRO, said: "Having a strong list of varieties with background on how they perform year after year in the field will give growers the information they need to select the best varieties for their conditions.

"It will also be possible for them to benchmark their yields against crops grown under best practice.

"I believe the attention to detail given by the RL Board will continue to pay dividends in the future.”