The view that all Group 4 wheats are the same is too simplistic, according to plant breeders Nickerson commenting on the dramatic growth of the Group 4 market - up from 26% last year to close on 40% coming to harvest this year.

"When you look at the Group 4’s on the HGCA Recommended List of winter wheats for 2007 drilling, there is a very clear division between the soft and the hard wheats.  And this distinction in grain quality will be underlined when farmers come to market the resulting crop next year,” says Lee Robinson, cereals product manager for Nickerson.

“The risk is that we become a one-stop shop and end up with a big heap of feed wheat that is difficult to export - this will have a negative impact on price,” he warned.

The soft Group 4 wheats, such as Alchemy and Istabraq, are suitable for distilling and have found their place in the UK’s important export market.  Whilst hard Group 4 wheats are traditionally poorer for alcohol production and, particularly if they have the 1B/1R gene, are unlikely to find a home in bioethanol plants.

“Our message to growers making their 2007 drilling decisions is to look at the market they are aiming for and to remember that not all feed wheats are equal,” Mr Robinson added.