AGF Seeds’s latest conventional spring barley, Gretchen has shown 5 to 10% yield improvements over RGT Planet. Gretchen is a mid-late maturity barley with a similar maturity to RGT Planet and offers a sound disease package with strength in Scald resistance and significant improvement in Net Form Net Blotch vs RGT Planet.
If you are looking for a RGT Planet alternative that offers improved yield, a stronger disease package and superior malt quality then Gretchen is the barley for you.
* Gretchen is currently being evaluated for malt accreditation with the potential to enter the official accreditation process in 2027. A proven malting variety in Europe we expect Gretchen to be a very attractive variety for Australian maltsters and breweries.
EPR $4.00/t GST exclusive
Gretchen has shown in trials the potential to outyield RGT Planet and to be competitive with Neo CL. The table below shows a comparison of RGT Planet and Gretchen across a range of independent trials throughout Victoria, Tasmania, and Queensland.
In Variety x Fungicide trials conducted by AGF Seeds in Smeaton, Vic, Gretchen has shown the strength of its disease package by seeing very little yield penalty in reduced fungicide trials. In the 2025 trial Gretchen yielded 10.69t/ha in the 2 fungicide trial, 11.21t/ha in the 1 fungicide rep and 10.45t/ha in the nil fungicide rep.
Chart: Percentage of Site Mean Yield by Variety comparison of Gretchen, Neo CL & RGT Planet across fungicide treatments in AGF Seeds 2025 Main Season Barley Trial.
Gretchen has shown a significant step up in resistance to scald when compared to other key barleys on the market. We have also seen improvements in Net Form Net Blotch resistance when compared to RGT Planet.
Gretchen is a Mid-Late maturity barley with a similar maturity to RGT Planet. Suited to medium & high rainfall environments.
Table: Approximate Days to 50% Head Emergence at AGF Seeds’ 2024 Main Season Barley Trial
