FARMERS have been advised to remember the potential of hybrid barley for later drilling.

Simon Phillips, product development manager for Syngenta Seeds, said it could be drilled until late October, providing seedbed conditions are suitable.

He also said Duxford, the new potential bread-making winter wheat variety, is also ideally suited to later drilling - from mid-September onwards.

Growers could face a bigger drilling workload than normal this autumn, driven by higher grain prices and land coming out of set-aside.

It could mean drilling going on later - especially if extra time is needed to work down seedbeds after land was churned up during the wet harvest, or if growers want to let black-grass germinate in stale seedbeds so they can spray off before planting.

Mr Phillips said hybrid barley suits later drilling because its hybrid vigour helps it establish quickly, even in not-so-warm conditions.

The extra vigour not only aids root development during later drilling but helps with more tillering. Boost and Bronx - two new hybrids - are both high tillering varieties.

Although their optimum drilling date is mid-September, they can generally be planted up until the end of October.

Optimum seed rate for Bronx is 200 to 230 seeds per square metre, and 250 seeds per square metre for Boost.