Variety Overview
End-use group: Six-row feed, Hybrid
Market options: Livestock Feed
Soil preference: Suitable for all soil types and performs well especially on heavy land
Regional positioning: Performs well in all regions
Sowing rate: Approx 200 seeds/m2 in good conditions. Up to 250 seeds/m2 in grass weed situations
Key features: SY THUNDERBOLT is the hybrid barley variety with consistently high regional yields. This variety is especially strong on heavy land. In addition, it offers outstanding grain quality, a good disease resistance profile – especially for brown rust and mildew – and its early maturity helps to add flexibility at harvest. SY THUNDERBOLT is a great choice for the North and West and will have a special appeal to growers on heavy land who need a variety which will suppress grass weeds.
Key Performance Statistics
We've compared SY THUNDERBOLT and KWS Orwell on the AHDB Recommended List 2024/25 and shared some key statistics we think you'll be interested in.
Yield
| Untreated Yield* | Treated Yield* | Eastern Yield* | Western Yield* | Northern Yield* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SY THUNDERBOLT | 88 | 106.7 | 106 | 108 | 107 |
| KWS Orwell | 83 | 99.6 | 99 | 100 | 99 |
* % treated control
Grain quality
Specific Weight (kg/hl) | Screenings (% through 2.25mm) | Screenings (% through 2.5mm) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SY THUNDERBOLT | 70.2 | 2.0 | 7.2 |
| KWS Orwell | 68.9 | 1.7 | 5.4 |
Disease profile
Mildew (1-9) | Brown rust (1-9) | Rhynchosporium (1-9) | Net blotch (1-9) | BaYMV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SY THUNDERBOLT | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | R |
| KWS Orwell | 3 | 7 | 6 | 5 | R |
[ ] = limited data
Agronomic features
Resistance to lodging with PGR (1-9) | Straw height without PGR (cm) | Straw height with PGR (cm) | Ripening (days +/- Orwell, -ve = earlier) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SY THUNDERBOLT | 6 | 115 | 107 | -1 |
| KWS Orwell | 8 | 96 | 87 | 0 |
Breeding Insight
SY THUNDERBOLT is a variety showing strong yields across all regions and has performed well on heavy soils. It is also early maturing to help with harvest flexibility.
Sarah Hughes
