NIAB Innovation Farm

Maize diversity

NIAB Innovation Farm demonstrates the range of maize varieties now adapted to UK growing conditions and markets. Maize is a superb example of the success of plant breeding in adapting a sub-tropical crop to thrive under UK growing conditions.  The crop has been adapted for a range of different food, feed and non-food applications.  There has been a gradual expansion of the UK area in which the crop can be grown.  There has been a six-fold increase in cultivation from 26,000 ha in the late 1980s to more than 160,000 ha today.

Varieties included in the Innovation Farm demonstration plots are:

Variety:          KENTAURUS

Breeder: KWS

End-use: Forage

Variety:          CANNAVARO

Breeder: KWS

End-use: Biogas

Variety:          NK BALERIC

Breeder: Syngenta

End-use: Dual purpose – forage and biogas

Variety:          NK FALKONE

Breeder: Syngenta

End-use: Grain maize

Variety:          ES MARCO

Breeder: Grainseed

End-use: Forage

Variety:          AMBITION

Breeder: Limagrain

End-use: Forage

Crop:              Sweetcorn

End-use: Human consumption