The Best Durum Varieties for 2026

Should you only grow one durum variety? I'd suggest no, each season brings its own challenges and sometimes rain!
Some varieties seem to have more risk to bacterial streaming/blight. Some have more lodging risk, and others are longer season and some seem to respond better to PGR's
We have one customer blending AAC Stronghold and AAC Grainland on dryland to take advantage of the wet years vs dry as each one has a fit (see below)

AAC Brigham VB

• Replaces AAC Succeed VB in our lineup
• Medium season
• 107% of check
• Good disease package
• Stands well

AAC Schrader

• I rating for FHB
• Beat AAC Stronghold on a couple irrigation customers fields in 2025 and our 2024 seed crop
  • we used 2 PGR passes in our 2024 crop
• Medium maturity

AAC Stronghold

• Solid stem for sawfly
• Stands VG for a durum 
• Medium to long season
• Yields better under higher moisture (over 40 bu range)
• Can risk bacterial blight
  
  

AAC Grainland

• Solid stem for sawfly
• Yield stability when it's dry (under 40 bu range)
• Rated Fair for lodging
• Resistance to sprouting
• Dark awns

AAC Frontier Fall 2026 launch:

• R rating for ergot
• I rating for FHB (Comparable to AAC Schrader)
• R rating for leaf, stripe and stem rust
• Hollow stem (sorry sawfly area customers) 
• Yielded well in our 2025 demo plots
• https://grainswest.com/2025/01/new-durum-better-than-ever/

Demo Plot 2025:
AAC Brigham VB led the durum yield demo in 2025
For standability Stronghold was the best, followed by Succeed VB/Brigham VB, then Frontier, then Schrader.
We often hear people relating stem solidness to standability but it is not the case. Solid stem does not automatically mean it stands better.
Maturity was all very similar.