Spring barley character notes - Mildew diversification scheme

Mildew can spread between barley varieties that are susceptible to the same race of the pathogen.

The risk of severe and widespread infection may be reduced by:

1. Growing varieties with good resistance to mildew (as indicated by high resistance ratings on the HGCA Recommended List)

2. Diversifying the varieties grown on a farm so that they are not all susceptible to the same race of mildew. This is achieved by using the Variety Diversification Scheme.

Choosing varieties to grow together

1. Select a first-choice variety and find its Diversification Group (DG).

2. Click on the DG group to see the risk of mildew spreading with other groups.

3. Read across the table to find the risk of spread of mildew for each companion DG.

4. Wherever possible choose combinations of varieties marked 'low'.

5. If there is a choice of varieties in a companion DG, give preference to those with higher resistance ratings.

# Uncharacterised specific resistance

(S) = spring variety, (W) = winter variety

The mildew diversification scheme is operated by the UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS) which is funded by Defra and HGCA.