KWS Cassia

KWS Cassia represents a major advance in two row barley breeding, and has taken winter barley production to the next level.

A combination of extremely high yield, sound straw characteristics, good disease resistance and a very bold grain, has made KWS Cassia a wonderfully reliable feed barley package.

Couple this with BaYMV resistance and KWS Cassia is, not surprisingly, now the most widely grown winter barley across all soils and situations – including Scotland.

Exceptional Yields

KWS Cassia produces very high two-row yields.  Couple this with an exceptionally bold grain sample at 70.6kg/hl and a very stiff straw, and KWS Cassia clearly delivers an exceptional yield and bold grain sample.

KWS Cassia is also no slouch untreated.  At 85% of controls it is 4% higher yielding than both Retriever and Saffron.

Exceptional Grain Quality

KWS Cassia has very similar grain characteristics to its sister variety, Saffron.  This gives it a significant advantage over most of its rivals, most notably Retriever.

	Specific Weight	Screenings % >2.25mm	Screenings % >2.5mm
KWS Cassia	70.6	1.5	4.8
Retriever	66.5	4.7	14.7
Florentine	68.4	1.6	6.5
Saffron	70.2	1.4	5.6
Suzuka	69.3	1.3	4.1

Data source:  HGCA Recommended List, 2011/12

 Agronomically Straightforward

As its untreated yields suggest, KWS Cassia is a straightforward variety to grow.  Its ability to hold onto green leaf throughout the growing season helps fuel its very high yields.

It has excellent net blotch resistance and so fungicide programmes should focus on early season control of Rhynchosporium and mildew.

Similarly to Saffron, KWS Cassia is a free tillering variety with the ability to recover from thin or gappy stands.

There are benefits to be found from starting fungicide programmes with a T0 spray.

	KWS Cassia	Saffron
Mildew	5	3
Yellow rust	6	7
Brown rust	7	7
Rynchosporium	4	4
Net blotch	8	8

Data source:  HGCA Recommended List, 2011/12

 KWS Cassiais a medium height (88cm), stiff strawed variety. This gives security in the field, with only a simple PGR programme being required.

 

	KWS Cassia	Saffron	Retriever
Lodging	8	8	6

Data source:  HGCA Recommended List, 2011/12

Finally, KWS Cassia is resistant to Barley Mild Mosaic Virus (BaMMV) and Barley Yellow Mosaic Virus (BaYMV).

In summary, KWS Cassia is the first choice variety for growers looking to produce maximum yields with excellent specific weight.  Add in BaYMV resistance and you have an outstanding package for all winter barley growers.

KWS Cassia is tolerant to chlorotoluron.