Winter wheat variety Vanessa is a soft, awnless, semi-dwarf type of wheat belonging to the Lutescens group, registered in the Ukrainian Variety Register in 2017. This intensive type is classified as a forage wheat with plant height of 81–84 cm. Vanessa is a medium-early variety with a vegetation period of 263–276 days. The thousand-grain weight is 40.7–42.8 g, and the seeding rate is 3.5–4.5 million viable seeds per hectare. The variety is characterized by high grain productivity, with average yields of about 94.6 c/ha and potential yields of 100–110 c/ha.
Vanessa is resistant to lodging and shattering, and exhibits high frost and drought tolerance. It also shows good resistance to several diseases, including Fusarium head blight, powdery mildew, snow mold, and brown rust. Thanks to these traits, the variety tolerates late sowing and demonstrates strong early growth rates.
In terms of quality, Vanessa has moderate protein content — about 12.6% — and good gluten content — 27%. The variety is recommended for cultivation in various agroclimatic zones of Ukraine, including the Polissia, forest-steppe, and steppe regions. The breeder is Selgen a.s. from the Czech Republic, where Vanessa is in high demand as one of the elite wheat varieties.
