| Grain
High protein hampered by Hagbergs?
Could high protein be hampered by Hagberg and gluten levels?
B wheat protein
could be on track
to be the highest
on record,
according to the
first provisional
results of AHDB Cereals &
Oilseeds’ Cereal Quality Survey
2017. However, wet weather
during harvest has affected
Hagberg Falling Numbers (HFN).
Meanwhile, the provisional results
for barley show that while specific
weights and grain sizes are
broadly in line with last season,
higher nitrogen levels could prove
challenging.
Wheat
For the 2,858 wheat samples
analysed by 31 August, the
provisional average protein level
was a record for the first release at
13.2 per cent. This compares to
the three-year average at this
G
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stage of 12.1 per cent.
James Webster, AHDB Cereals
& Oilseeds Analyst said: “We are
seeing the highest ever average
protein level for GB at this stage of
the Cereal Quality Survey.
However, protein content is a weak
indicator of milling and baking
quality. As such there will also be a
number of questions asked about
the functionality of the protein
(gluten) this season.”
Hagberg Falling Numbers for all
of the wheat sampled to date
averaged 259s, some way below
last season when HFNs averaged
319s at the same point in the
survey. The provisional result this
season is also lower than the
provisional result for the 2012
harvest (267s). However, it is worth
noting that the averages of the
nabim Group 1 samples is above
the level required to meet the
requirements for full specification
bread wheat (250s), at 260s
Mr Webster added: “We have
seen a great deal of variation in
Hagberg levels across the wheat
crop, with samples ranging from
79s to 432s. However, because the
samples so far are biased to the
earlier-harvested regions, we could
well see the average Hagberg level
falling further. Later harvested
regions were hit harder by summer
rainfall which led to a challenging
stop-start harvest for many.”
“The nature of the fractured
2017 harvest will also raise
questions over the consistency of
quality of the domestic wheat crop
relative to imported supplies.”
Specific weights this season are
broadly in line with the same stage
last year. At 76.8kg/hl they are the
lowest since 2012, but not far off
last year’s first provisional average
of 77.2kg/hl. Of the nabim Group 1
samples analysed to date, it looks
like Crusoe has been most
affected by the drop in HFNs,
falling from 306s in last season’s
provisional results to 247s in the
2017 first provisional estimates.
The first provisional results have
a regional bias towards the East
and South East, representing 36
per cent and 38 per cent
respectively of the total sample.
Furthermore, nabim Group 1
varieties account for 62 per cent of
the samples analysed to date. As
we move toward the second
provisional and final results, we
will develop a much clearer picture
of UK wheat quality, addressing
the regional and varietal biases.
This will give us further clarification
as to the extent to which grain
quality was affected by the rain
during harvest.
October 2017 | Farming Monthly | 17