The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has included 11 varieties in its 2026 spring barley recommended list.

Apart from two, all have relative yield values in excess of 100.

Fully recommended

Hurler has a relative yield figure of 104. This is the highest value featured within the 2026 recommended listing.

Hurler is a high yielding, moderately early maturing variety. It shows good resistance to lodging and is moderately resistant to straw breakdown.

The variety demonstrates very good resistance to mildew, rhynchosporium, and net blotch. It is moderately resistant to brown rust.

Florence is a good yielding, moderately early maturing variety with a relative value of 101.

It shows good resistance to lodging and straw breakdown, very good resistance to mildew and good resistance to rhynchosporium.

Florence is moderately susceptible to brown rust and to net blotch.

Geraldine is a good yielding, moderately early maturing variety, also with a relative yield value of 101.

The variety shows good resistance to lodging and is moderately resistant to straw breakdown.

Geraldine shows very good resistance to mildew and net blotch. It has good resistance to rhynchosporium and is moderately resistant to brown rust.

Gretchen is a good yielding, moderately early maturing variety. It has a relative yield value of 100.

It demonstrates good resistance to lodging and moderate resistance to straw breakdown.

Gretchen has very good resistance to mildew and net blotch. The variety demonstrates good resistance to rhynchosporium and is moderately resistant to brown rust.

Meanwhile, LG Mermaid is a good yielding, moderately late maturing variety. It has a relative yield value of 102.

The variety is moderately susceptible to lodging and susceptible to straw breakdown. It has very good resistance to mildew and net blotch while demonstrating moderate resistance to rhynchosporium and brown rust.

Lollipop is a good good yielding, moderately early maturing spring barley variety. It too has a relative yield value of 102.

It is moderately susceptible to lodging and moderately resistant to straw breakdown. The variety demonstrates very good resistance to mildew, rhynchosporium and net blotch. It is moderately resistant to brown rust.

The other fully recommended varieties are: RGT Planet, Rockway, Skyway, Spinner and SY Amity.

Provisionally recommended

Provisionally recommended is Belter with a relative yield value of 102.

It is a good yielding, moderately late maturing variety. Belter is moderately resistant to lodging and straw breakdown, demonstrating very good resistance to mildew and net blotch.

It has good resistance to rhynchosporium and is moderately resistant to brown rust.

A total of five varieties feature on the malting barley recommend list for 2026. They are: Florence, Laureate, SY Amity, LG Mermaid and RGT Planet.