Is it time for growers to take another look at oilseed rape?

Over the last few years the upfront costs and establishment challenges have made OSR a risky option, but with recent improvements in pest pressure, genetics and recently market prices, could OSR be making a comeback?

With SFI coming to a close and reports of lower CSFB larvae numbers from last autumn – the conditions are changing – and growers may be more inclined to return to what remains one of the most profitable break crops they can grow.

Beckii Gibbs, seed manager at United Oilseeds says: “A major positive has been the improvement in prices which have steadily strengthened over the past year, rising from an average of £370 per tonne in August 2024 to £405 per tonne for August 2025.

A Technical Crop Demands a Technical Approach

“With the market moving in the right direction and pest pressure easing, confidence in oilseed rape is beginning to rebuild. But those considering a return to OSR must still treat it as the technical crop it has become,” says Florentina Petrescu, oilseed rape product manager for plant breeders Limagrain Field Seeds UK.

“Integrated Pest Management strategies remain essential for OSR success,” she says.

Establishment Techniques That Work

Growers are seeing benefits from adapting cultivation methods, drilling into moist seedbeds, applying organic matter, and making use of companion or trap crops. Establishing OSR away from previous OSR fields also helps disrupt pest cycles and improves the chances of a strong, healthy crop.

However a key part of the success of the crop comes down to the importance of variety choice and Ms Petrescu believes this cannot be overstated.

Genetics Make the Difference

“Advances in oilseed rape breeding have delivered a new generation of hybrids with improved disease resistance, pod shatter protection, and greater resilience,” she notes.

“In the field, these genetic traits play out as a risk management strategy, by allowing the crop to meet its full gross output potential.

“LG Avenger is the result of our new methods of breeding oilseed rape varieties, which consider all limiting factors for crop development, including the threat from CSFB.

“It is the only variety with LG Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle Resilience on the 2025/26 AHDB Recommended List, alongside many other valuable characteristics, including high yield, pod shatter resistance, high oil content and a very good disease package, including a light leaf spot rating of 7 and sclerotinia tolerance,” she says.

Ms Petrescu notes the introduction of LG CSFB Resilience is the latest in a long line of developments that have helped improve yields in LG’s ‘fully loaded varieties’.

Fully loaded varieties include key traits such as POSH (pod shatter resistance), Stem Health, Sclero-Flex for sclerotinia tolerance, N-Flex for nitrogen efficiency, and robust TuYV resistance, which can reduce the need for aphid sprays.

LG Adapt, recommended across both the East/West and Northern Lists, boasting a gross output of 108%, also illustrates the benefit of growing a trait-loaded variety.

“Thanks to seventh-generation hybrid breeding, LG Adapt combines high yield potential with an exceptional trait package, including pod shatter resistance, TuYV resistance, RLM7, and Stem Health,” she says.

“Its adaptability across all regions of the UK, alongside excellent stem health and oil content of 46.4%, make it a compelling option for growers wanting to manage risk and maximise returns.”

A Crop Worth Reconsidering

With better market prices, reduced pest pressure and breeding advances that can lower growing costs, OSR is once again becoming an increasingly viable option, particularly following barley where it offers valuable rotational benefits.

As Ms Gibbs at United Oilseeds (UOM) points out, the outlook for OSR is improving and growers now have more tools and knowledge at their disposal than ever before to grow the crop successfully.

For many, OSR has been a crop to avoid in recent years — but that sentiment may be about to change.