Cultivar · Wheat cultivar
Maris Huntsman
Maris Huntsman is a British winter bread wheat introduced in 1972 by the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge that became one of the most widely grown winter wheats in the United Kingdom during the 1970s.
Record
Cultivar / variety- Variety of
- Wheat
- Botanical taxon
- Triticum aestivum
- Type
- Cultivar
- Breeding method
- Cross-breeding (pedigree selection)
- Origin
- Cambridge (Plant Breeding Institute, Trumpington), United Kingdom
- Released
- 1972
- Breeder / institution
- Plant Breeding Institute, Cambridge
- Registry status
- Historical · as of 2026-07-12
- Adaptation
- A winter wheat adapted to the temperate maritime climate of the United Kingdom; as a winter type it is autumn-sown and requires vernalization to flower.
- Intended use
- Winter bread wheat
Registry listing or variety protection is jurisdiction- and date-specific and does not by itself indicate current commercial availability, universal cultivation approval, patent status, or a recommendation.
Maris Huntsman is a winter bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) bred at the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge and introduced as a recommended variety in 1972. Its name follows the "Maris" prefix used by the institute, taken from Maris Lane in Trumpington, near Cambridge.
Maris Huntsman was widely adopted and became one of the most extensively grown winter wheats in the United Kingdom during the 1970s. It has since been superseded by later varieties and is now of chiefly historical interest as part of the Plant Breeding Institute’s influential cereal-breeding legacy.
History and development
Maris Huntsman was developed at the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge, a research organization responsible for a series of widely grown British cereals carrying the "Maris" name. It was introduced to farmers as a recommended winter wheat in 1972.
The variety was taken up quickly and became a leading winter wheat in the United Kingdom through the 1970s before newer varieties replaced it. It is now remembered as a landmark in the institute’s cereal-breeding programme rather than as a current commercial variety.
Classification and characteristics
- Species
- Triticum aestivum (hexaploid bread wheat)
- Growth habit
- Winter (autumn-sown; requires vernalization)
- Origin
- Plant Breeding Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Introduced
- 1972
Relationships
Evidence-backed connections in the knowledge graph.
Adapted to climate
Scope & limitations
Geographic scope: Documented United Kingdom winter bread wheat, historically widely grown in the 1970s; adaptation and performance are region- and season-specific.
Climate context: A winter bread wheat adapted to the temperate maritime climate of the United Kingdom.
- Adaptation and trait notes are region- and season-specific, and performance varies by environment.
- Maris Huntsman is a heritage cultivar that has been superseded; its current commercial registration status is not asserted here.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- [1]AHDB — Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (opens in a new tab)High
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
Cited for: United Kingdom winter wheat variety and agronomy context
- Type:
- Government agency
- Jurisdiction:
- United Kingdom
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- High
Cited for: Classification of Triticum aestivum
- Type:
- Reference database
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12