The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland has announced the 2017 winners of the Technical Innovations Awards, with two golds, four silvers and two certificates of commendation being awarded.

Limagrain UK Ltd, which is part of Group Limagrain, is the second company to be given a silver award, with their UK Winter Wheat Breeding Programme.  Limagrain UK have a reputation for producing successful varieties for Scotland.

The two newest additions; LG Sundance and LG Motown, added to the AHDB Recommended List 2017/18, offer alternative winter wheat varieties with desirable agronomic characteristics to meet both the challenges of growing wheat in Scotland and the needs of the Scottish market.

LG Motown is a very high yielding soft feed wheat with distilling potential, offering additional market opportunities for Scottish growers, it has the benefit of early maturity – critical for the Scottish market and also has excellent disease resistance for yellow, brown rust, Septoria tritici and resistance to Orange Wheat Blossom Midge (OWBM).

LG Sundance offers the strongest available resistance to Septoria tritici on the AHDB Recommended List 2017/18, along with high yields for feed or distilling and high resistance to yellow rust and OWBM.

Douglas Bonn, Seed Specialist for Nickerson is pictured here receiving the award of behalf of Limagrain, having submitted the entry to the awards himself, and is delighted that the company have won.

“It’s a valuable trait, not just in maintaining yields, but pod shatter resistance also gives growers flexibility during harvest by extending the period that the crop can hold on in the field. It is also a valuable tool for reducing the number of oilseed rape volunteers in the following crop.”

Graph on flexibility of harvest – see below.

Quantifying resistance
“It is possible to precisely quantify pod shatter resistance using lab based techniques, where the force required to shatter the pod is measured, and testing varieties in this way clearly shows that there are significant differences in the resistance between varieties that claim to carry POSH resistance”, says Dr Gegas.

“In the Limagrain OSR breeding programme, we have sophisticated breeding tools which allow us to introduce POSH resistance into our hybrid varieties, which are then extensively tested in this way, so we have the confidence that these varieties do indeed offer high levels of pod shatter resistance.”

Independent crop consultant Allen Scobie, based in central Scotland, believes the most important aspect of the oilseed rape harvest is maximizing recoverable yield, and pod shatter resistance goes a long way to achieving this by reducing the risk of damage from strong winds and cutter bar losses. “Scottish growers have dealt with some fairly mixed weather at the start of harvest over the last few years, and in 2016 areas of central Scotland experienced strong gale force winds within days of harvest. Some growers lost more than half of their crop due to pod shatter but hybrids with the pod shatter resistance gene experienced little or no damage.”

“This year, a series of low pressures have prevented many growers from starting to harvest oilseed rape, so many crops are still standing in the field, and we will have to see what plays out with these crops.”

“Applications of pod stickers to reduce shatter loss have become common practice for many growers but at the current commercial rates they cost more and do not prevent the damage caused by last year’s strong winds,” he points out.

“Hybrids containing the pod shatter resistance gene can reduce the risk of losses from wind or delayed harvest and reduce the need for pod stickers.”

It’s the consistency of a varieties performance over differing seasons that is key, and one that he encourages growers to understand better, rather than just going for the top-line yield.

“It’s all about choosing the genetics that will support your given farm situation and chosen market.”

“Generally, we are seeing a swing towards more robust disease resistant varieties as they catch up with the yield lag that was once associated with these varieties. However, the ability of wheat varieties to withstand disease pressure can be very varied, with some genetics holding up well whilst other varieties succumb to the evolving race changes and more intense pressure.”

“By looking at the five year average yield results on the AHDB Recommended List, it is possible to see how a particular variety has performed over the last five seasons.”
“This is more important than the performance for a single season, especially as we would appear to be in cycles of erratic weather patterns (for example 2012, 2014 & 2016) that all resulted in very high disease pressure seasons, continues Mr Granger.

“Regarding Group 1 milling wheats, it’s always better to grow a safe and consistent variety that has performed on farm and produced the desirable grain specifications, rather than rush into an unproven variety on the promise of an extra 1-2% yield.”

“Whilst we don’t yet have the figures in for this year’s more catchy harvest, it’s clear to see by looking at the trends that certain varieties are more consistent than others.”

NIAB’s Clare Leaman, agrees that there is value in being able to look at the performance of a variety over several seasons. “Consistency is considered to be a more valuable trait now than it has been for a long time, and is certainly much higher on the agenda when choosing what varieties to grow.”

“This has come about as seasons have become increasingly unpredictable and varied and growers want the reassurance that they are going to get the yields, or close enough to the yields that they anticipated when they put the crop into the ground.”

Mr Granger believes that there is a danger with the RL that growers jump to the newest high yielding varieties on the back of a limited amount of data and inevitably there will be some blips where a variety does particularly well one year.

He points out that with the dry weather we have had this spring, varieties have not been as challenged by yellow rust or septoria, although brown rust has been an issue later in the season.  It’s important not to be lulled into a false sense of security and to recognise this when deciding what to grow for next year, when we may not be so lucky.

Consistent Crusoe
Despite being on the AHDB RL for over six years, the Group 1 milling wheat Crusoe still remains a market favourite based on its consistent high protein content, giving growers the security for hitting contract specifications.

“It is this consistency of good protein content and quality that has seen millers using increasing volumes since its launch,” says Mr Granger.

“Although Crusoe would appear to be a lower yielding variety on the AHDB RL than some of the newer Group 1 wheats, the story on farm seems to be very different, with the variety performing very well producing exceptional high yields and hitting grain specification.”
“This is reflected in the fact that despite Crusoe being a milling wheat, the variety is successfully being grown as feed wheat in regions of high disease pressure indicating that security of on farm performance is critical for growers today in a very volatile market.”
Crusoe also offers short stiff straw, an important attribute for a milling wheat when, as we have seen this season severe weather has had an effect on lodging pressure among many varieties both in trials and on farm.

Crusoe continues to offer robust disease resistance ratings with a good 6.7 for septoria, a  6 for fusarium ear blight, a 9 for yellow rust and a 7 for mildew.

“These ratings continue to hold up when newer quality varieties are showing higher levels of disease susceptibility this season. Growers are aware of Crusoe’s lower rating for brown rust and as long as this is managed appropriately with fungicides, should not be a problem.”

High yielding feed wheat
If looking for a hard feed wheat variety that offers high yields that has proven itself across different seasons and in a range of situations, Evolution remains a safe choice. The variety has shown a consistency of performance alongside market stalwarts, JB Diego and Santiago, and is still a firm favourite on farm.
“This variety has performed well in a first wheat situation, but its performance as second wheat has been exceptional and is probably the main placement on farm today”, says Mr Granger.

“In fact, Evolution performs better in a second wheat slot than first wheat. As first wheat it yields 102% on the RL, but move it into a second wheat slot and its performance jumps up to 103%.”

The variety also suits the later drilling scenario, producing very high yields which suggest its good performance in a blackgrass situation.

Bred by Danish breeder Sejet, the combination of the political climate, tight regulations around crop inputs in Denmark and the tendency for early generation selection of varieties in a second wheat situation, tend to produce wheats with a greater root mass to improve nutrient-use efficiency, he claims.

“The variety, unlike its rivals has held up very well regarding disease resistance and again this season has shown good disease resistance when new varieties are showing higher levels of susceptibility.”

“The reality is that we don’t know what the next season is going to throw at us, there are so many unknowns in this game – grain prices, weather patterns, disease pressure and even the impact of Brexit, so start by minimising risk wherever possible- and one of these areas is choosing the right wheat variety by looking behind the yield headlines, at the on farm security and marketing options that the variety offers.”

It’s important to look behind the headline yield figures and fully understand the robustness and consistency of the data to ensure on-farm performance, urges Ron Granger, arable technical manager with Limagrain UK.

It’s the consistency of a varieties performance over differing seasons that is key, and one that he encourages growers to understand better, rather than just going for the top-line yield.

“It’s all about choosing the genetics that will support your given farm situation and chosen market,” he says.

However, the ability of wheat varieties to withstand disease pressure can be very varied, with some genetics holding up well whilst other varieties succumb to the evolving race changes and more intense pressure.”

By looking at the five-year average yield results on the AHDB Recommended List, it is possible to see how a particular variety has performed over the last five seasons, he points out.  

“This is more important than the performance for a single season, especially as we would appear to be in cycles of erratic weather patterns (for example 2012, 2014 & 2016) that all resulted in very high disease pressure seasons, continues Mr Granger.

“Whilst we don’t yet have the figures in for this year’s more catchy harvest, it’s clear to see by looking at the trends that certain varieties are more consistent than others. In my mind, it’s always better to grow a safe and consistent variety that has performed on farm, rather than rush into an unproven variety on the promise of an extra 1-2%.”

Andrew Gilchrist, managing director of Scottish Agronomy, agrees that there is value in being able to track a variety over a number of years. “In our trials, we always test a number of the key varieties for several years, alongside some of the newer material, and this allows us to benchmark their performance.”

“There is a danger with the RL that growers jump to the newest high yielding varieties on the back of a limited amount of data and inevitably there will be some blips where a variety does particularly well one year, but generally these are not sustainable.”

“At Scottish Agronomy, we would be looking for varieties that offer better disease resistance and do not need as much of a fungicide input as others; it is these varieties that offer the consistency in yield that we are looking for.”

With the dry weather, we had this spring; varieties have not been as challenged by disease, so it’s important not to be lulled into a false sense of security and to recognise this when deciding what to grow for next year, when we may not be so lucky. 2014 was not so long ago when we had a Septoria monster of a year.”

Consistent varieties for the north
Group 4 soft wheat Revelation has the highest disease resistance combination score on the AHDB RL and whilst it may not be as high yielding as some of the newer additions, it performs best in the north, and its all-round agronomic package makes it one of the safest varieties to grow on farm, says Mr Granger.

Revelation is later maturing and growers in the north may consider this a disadvantage, however spreading maturity on farm at harvest especially with a wet harvest like present is an important way of managing risk, and can offer some advantage with regards to grain quality, he adds.

Revelation continues to have an excellent disease resistance profile, which includes very good ratings for eyespot (8 *) and Fusarium (7), and along with additional agronomic characters such as very stiff straw means that it performs well as an early drilled wheat.

Good grain attributes make Revelation suitable for a range of marketing options and it has approval for distilling and export.

Group 3 wheat, Zulu also performs particularly well in the north, yielding 102% over control, and whilst this is not as high as some of the newer Group 3’s, Zulu has shown itself to be consistent over seasons, regions, rotational position and soil types proving good resilience in very erratic climatic conditions, and the variety has excellent ear fertility, points out Mr Granger.

Zulu has a sound agronomic package offering growers similar security to old favourite Claire, but with the advantage of OWBM. Zulu can be sown early in the north and has shown good tillering ability. Its robust disease resistance to septoria (6) supports this situation.

“However, it is important to manage the variety for yellow rust, which is relatively straight forward with a well-timed fungicide programme.”

Currently, the premiums on offer for biscuit-making wheats are more attractive than those for the Group 1’s, so it’s certainly worth considering growing for this market, he says.

“Unlike newcomers to this Group, Basset and Barrel, Zulu has the added benefit of being approved for several markets, making it popular with end-users; it is suitable for the biscuit, cake making and UK distilling markets as well as having approval for UK’s soft wheat for export.”

“The reality is that we don’t know what the next season is going to throw at us; there are so many unknowns in this game – grain prices, weather patterns, disease pressure and even the impact of Brexit. Start by minimising risk wherever possible, choosing the right wheat variety by looking behind the yield headlines and concentrating on farm security and marketing options that the variety offers.”

Bred by Limagrain UK, both varieties have demonstrated the value of a range of OSR traits such as pod shatter resistance and TuYV resistance, as well as robust on-farm agronomics which act to protect yields from environmental and crop management factors – and these seem to have played a crucial role in securing the excellent performance of these varieties this season, says Agrii’s David Leaper.

Architect is a TuYV resistant hybrid and Mr Leaper believes that this has clearly contributed to Architect’s high yields.

Turnips yellows virus (TuYV) is spread by the peach potato aphid (Myzus persicae), and can impact yields by as much as 30% in highly infected situations and oil content by 3%, whilst increasing levels of glucosinolates and erucic acid.

“Back in May we measured levels of TuYV infection from the varieties in all of Agrii’s UK trials by taking random leaf samples which were then tested in Limagrain’s laboratories.”

“The survey showed that TuYV is endemic in the UK OSR crop; levels of infection across the UK were high and for the first time sites in Scotland showed levels of infection as high as 75%.”

“Now it is possible to correlate this information to yields between resistant and non-resistant varieties.”

“At our Perthshire site where 75% of samples tested were infected with TuYV, Architect performed very well with yields of 4.9 t/ha; 115% of control, whereas non-resistant varieties such as PR46W21 succumbed to the virus, yielding only 85% of control at 3.6 t/ha.”

“Bishop Burton was also a highly infected site with 60% of samples carrying the virus, however Architect again gave a really impressive yield of 5.8 t/ha; 132% over control.”

Although TuYV resistance has clearly protected yield in these highly infected sites, it is important to note that other characteristics such as pod shatter resistance, winter hardiness and outstanding autumn vigour, will also have played a role in protecting yields in these hybrid varieties, Mr Leaper points out.

“The benefits of pod shatter resistance are now firmly recognised on-farm and the high degree of pod shatter resistance shown by Architect and Aquila reduces seed losses as the crops come to harvest and also during the harvesting process when the cutter-bar violently hits the stem.”

Aquila, another Limagrain hybrid, has also had a really good year; “at our Lenham site it did particularly well yielding 5.6 t/ha, 114% over control and it also performed well further north with yields from our Bishop Burton site coming in at 5.1 t/ha, 116% over control,” he adds.

“Looking at the cumulative result of the last two years, Aquila is the highest yielder in Agrii’s national trial network of ten fully replicated trials.”

Aquila shows medium speed of development in the autumn and, while behind varieties like Architect and DK Exalte, it makes up for it with an excellent disease profile, he explains.

“Agrii’s trials have demonstrated a positive correlation between treated and untreated yields and overall disease resistance over the past three years. Aquila’s high untreated trial yields reflect the particularly good ratings of 8 for phoma and 6 for Light Leaf Spot.”

“While phoma can be managed using a well-timed autumn spray, Aquila genetics allow this spray to be pulled back under lower risk conditions and focused on the more challenging disease, Light Leaf Spot.”

Mr Leaper points out that this disease, once limited to the north, has become endemic across the UK. “It is a progressive yield-robbing disease which is much harder to control and generally requires a foliar spray approach and variety choice remains a key factor.”

“In addition, Verticillium wilt was assessed in three of Agrii’s trials; Aquila was less affected by the disease than many other varieties in the trials, making it a good choice wherever rape was intensively grown in the rotation.”

 “Aquila was in the top yielders across all of the three trial sites in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire, but did particularly well in Yorkshire with a gross output of 5.93. The oil content across all three trials was pretty consistent only ranging by 2% across sites, “says Lee Bennett, head of seeds with Openfield.

High gross output and robust agronomics are a must if we are to minimise cropping risks and costs associated with growing OSR today and Aquila’s excellent performance is backed up with high disease resistance ratings, good agronomics, vigorous establishment and rapid early crop development, he says.

“By choosing a variety offering all of this it is possible to minimise these threats and reduce the overall costs of growing the crop.”

Aquila’s high yields are backed up by an AHDB resistance rating of 8 for phoma (stem canker), as well as a very good rating of 6 for light leaf spot. “Genetic defence against light leaf spot is crucial to a successful crop; the disease is now widespread across the UK and we no longer have the chemistry needed to control it.”

A good phoma resistance allows growers to focus on a timely LLS fungicide programme, with some compromise on the early autumn phoma spray, under moderate infection conditions,” he says.

Aquila is a medium-tall variety with very stiff straw, and is early to mature; all of which make it a useful variety on farm.

“Vigorous establishment and rapid early crop growth are essential to an OSR crop if it is to have any chance of getting away from flea beetle and slugs that can decimate a crop before it has even got going. Aquila has demonstrated its superb autumn and spring vigour so it is a real contender, particularly when conditions are less than ideal or when it is late drilled after a preceding wheat crop.”

Mr Bennett considers pod shatter resistance to be a very important characteristic in OSR, as those varieties that carry a high degree of pod shatter resistance, such as Aquila, can make a real difference to seed losses both before and at harvest.

“When looking at what Aquila has to offer, the variety is a complete package and readily deserves very strong consideration when deciding upon the variety mix for planting in autumn 2017.”

Mr Lamyman has set a new world record yield for combining peas of 6.47 t/ha, at an average of 15.35% moisture with his 8.23ha crop of LG Stallion, large blue peas.

The last world record for combined peas in Europe was 5.21 t/ha from a crop in Ireland.

Harvested on the 25th August, the crop has performed well throughout the season as a result of a planned programme of targeted inputs and attention to detail.

Peas have not been grown on the Lamyman family farm for over 20 years since working with the South Wold vining pea group. The only other pulse’s currently grown on the farm are spring beans which fit into a seven year rotation.

“LG Stallion is the highest yielding large blue pea on the PGRO RL” says George Hunter, Limagrain UK

Recently recommended large blue pea, LG Stallion was the field pea variety of choice, selected for its high yield potential. George Hunter, Limagrain pulse product manager points out that that the variety is the highest yielding large blue pea on the PGRO Recommended List, combined with good standing and downy mildew tolerance.

Aiming high
“The chosen field for the LG Stallion attempt was a grade 2 chalky loam free draining soil, offering the potential to develop well-structured root systems, enabling easier nutrient uptake,” explains Mr Lamyman.

“Previously, this particular field has produced record yields of winter wheat of 16.5 t/ha and oilseed rape of 6.7 t/ha.”

Cultivations
The field was ploughed, followed by two passes with a Lemkin Terradisc and then finished with a Vaderstat carrier (discs and crumble roller). Once satisfied with the seed bed, LG Stallion was drilled by a Vaderstat Rapid with the coulters set at a 4 inch row width.

“The seed was treated with Wakil XL + GPA; the aim of this being to get early downy mildew control from the Wakil XL and better root development as well as plant establishment with the phosphite-based nutrient GPA,” he says.

“Established plant populations were 85 plants per square metre.”

Nutrition
Mr Lamyman believes that detailed and well targeted crop nutrition has been critical to the crop’s success. “Leaf samples were taken at four different stages through the crop’s growth cycle in order to identify nutrient deficiencies to which the relevant products were then applied, as required.”

“Manganese deficiency is normally an issue with field peas, however, levels within the crop were adequate for most of the growing period. Probably because of the plant being better able to utilise available manganese in the soil as a result of other key nutrients being applied to the crop as required.”

As with other crops on the farm, the pea crop received foliar applications of zinc and calcium (Bionature UK Calflux) and an application of boron and molybdenum (UK Rainbow Wave) at early flower.

Mr Lamyman believes that Calflux is a key component in any record attempt, as when the plant experiences stress, it will draw calcium from the flowering nodes and this can lead to pods and flowers aborting. 

“I have learnt a lot throughout this record attempt; nutrition of the crop is certainly key, and by making small tweaks to foliar and aphicide applications there is no reason to believe that we can’t push yields even higher next time.”

“However, as with any crop the weather is always going to play a vital part and we didn’t come off too badly this year as we drilled into moisture and have had rain when required; perhaps the only thing we were lacking was good levels of sunlight while the pods were filling.”

“Farmers are right to tap into contractors’ knowledge,” says Limagrain UK’s John Spence. “They know what grows well in the area and what doesn’t, and they know what their customer is looking for.”

But keeping up to date with new and more productive mixtures is no mean feat. “We have more information on the agronomy and the feed value of different varieties and mixtures than ever before,” adds Mr Spence. “And there is a growing gap between the best and the worst. While it might be tempting to go for the ‘best offer’ or the most easily available, a more informed and discerning choice of grass seed mixture can often pay dividends.” 

“Establishment is vital,” he says, adding that seed quality is one of the key components. “As a seed supplier, our aim is to deliver less weed seed and more live seed than any other supplier. And it’s worth selecting a mixture with a good track record and known tolerance to diseases.”

Seed treatments can be highly cost-effective and beneficial. “This is why the majority of seeds, in both Limagrain’s Monarch and Sinclair McGill ranges, are treated with the biological stimulant Headstart Gold. This treatment will reliably promote faster establishment and encourage higher plant numbers and stronger seedlings.

Soil type, climate and topography will influence the choice of grass seed mixture, but it’s equally important to consider the end use. “Is the sward going to be grazed or mainly for cutting? Or perhaps it’s a dual purpose sward? And is it a short, medium or long term ley? These are all considerations,” says Mr Spence.

Take the popular tetraploid and diploid ryegrass mixture Maxiyield from Monarch. “This is very high yielding and fast growing and produces high quality silage, giving maximum production over two years. But if aftermath is required for grazing, the medium term ley Maxicut is a good choice and will last for four years or longer.

The importance of the mixture composition is also reflected in Sinclair McGill Scotsward; a mixture of mid and late perennial ryegrass with 12% Timothy and white clover known for its high yields and longevity.

“Scotsward will reliably produce two high yielding cuts of quality silage plus grazing aftermath. And the inclusion of Timothy makes this popular with contractors as it makes grass erect and easier to cut – it holds the sward up for the mower, and it’s a variety of grass that grows well after a harsh winter so it’s ideal in a mixture for using in wet or colder conditions.”

Adding to the mixture’s suitability for silage-making is the 41% mid and late season tetraploid perennial ryegrasses which provide a high sugar content and make for good fermentation. And the white clover blend in this mixture adds to the feed quality, boosting the protein content and providing minerals and trace elements.

“It’s ‘horses for courses’ when it comes to making the right choice of grass seed mixtures, but if the most suitable mixture is used, then it will not hinder the operation, and high yielding crops of high quality feed can be delivered to the customer.”

Cutting edge
Grass seed mixtures can now go well beyond their growing characteristics.
It’s no longer just about selecting varieties for their ease of establishment, yield potential, drought resistance or longevity. Nutrition has stepped into the mix – literally.

Grass seed mixtures can now combine varieties with top performances and that complement each other for grazing and/or silage making, but that also add to the nutritional value of the crop – perhaps for more protein rich silage, or perhaps a higher energy forage or grazing crop.

“Limagrain has used Near Infra Red Spectroscopy to measure the nutritional properties of a plant variety and it has introduced an accreditation – LG Animal Nutrition or LGAN – for grass seed mixtures, as well as maize varieties. Supported with reliable data, this accreditation confirms that the mixture meets the required agronomic and nutritional criteria.

“We have five LGAN accredited mixtures in the Monarch range and no less than eight in the Sinclair McGill range,” adds Mr Spence.

Trials carried out at the independent Schothorst Feed Research Institute, based in The Netherlands, compared a Limagrain LGAN dual-purpose tetraploid grass seed mixture with a good quality conventional grass mixture fed in a ration with maize, soyabean and rapeseed meal and ground wheat.

Results showed that cows fed on the LGAN grass silage averaged 1.4 litres a day more than cows fed silage produced using a conventional grass seed mixture.

Feed value was also better. The digestibility and energy value of the diet improved by 3% and there was a 5% improvement in overall feed efficiency. This would add 427litres per cow to a 8500 litre average which would contribute to a higher milk income and margin per cow.

The grass seed mixtures’ enhanced nutritional benefits are particularly relevant as producers look to reduce production costs to help curb some of the effects of the volatile milk price.

A highly productive grass sward will encourage more milk from forage and this is key to the success of livestock units. “There are a lot of factors that play a part in achieving this, but productive grassland and using a reliable, productive grass seed mixture ‘fit for purpose’ should be high on the priority list.”

Drilled on October 20, 2016, this forage rye crop sat between two consecutive maize crops. It provided good ground cover and avoided leaving the land fallow over winter. It has also made a valuable addition to 2017/18 forage supplies for the farm’s beef suckler herd. “It’s a win-win,” says farmer and contractor Robert Moore. “It reduced nutrient loss from the maize ground and it boosted our homegrown feed supply for the dry cows.”

Limagrain’s Humbolt forage rye is winter hardy and gives dry matter yields around six tonnes per hectare with an ME of 10 and crude protein of 12%. With growing costs among the lowest of all forage crops, at £339/ha, this is a highly cost-effective catch crop, and especially between maize crops or as part of a grass and arable rotation.

Maize is a staple forage crop, but it’s only in the ground for five or six months, typically leaving the land fallow over winter. This is neither environmentally friendly or profitable. But there is a solution that is good for the soil and can boost forage stocks – a cover crop – as one Staffordshire producer found out

“With land prices so high, leaving the ground fallow for six months of the year doesn’t make sense,” says Staffordshire-based producer Andrew Moore, who farms and runs a contracting business in partnership with his son Rob. “Neither does it help with potential nutrient leaching,” he adds.

The Moores are also keen to maximise feed from home-grown forages for their livestock – an autumn-calving suckler herd of 120 Simmental cows, which are crossed with Belgian Blue or Simmental sires, at Benbrook Farm near Rugeley.

They were encouraged to grow a cover crop after maize by Limagrain’s Brian Copestake. “It seemed like a good idea,” says Rob. “And other producers in the area were keen too – either opting for forage rye or an early growing Italian ryegrass.

Good germination

“It meant that we had to drill the crop as soon as the maize was harvested to ensure good germination. And we grew the early maturing maize varieties Glory and Ambition, which also helped.”

Maize was harvested on October 20 and, keeping to tight time schedules, the land was ploughed, harrowed and drilled with Humbolt forage rye at a rate of 185kg/ha within three days, before being Cambridge rolled. Germination was good and a warm spring prompted early growth, helped along by a 125kg/ha dressing of nitrogen fertiliser in early March.

Rob harvested the forage rye in May. “It had headed by then and the crop was thick, and really consistent. We could see yields were good and it had the potential to boost our feed stocks for the following winter.
“I could have grazed this variety of forage rye, or cut it, a lot earlier – in late March or April. This would have given us a bigger window, if we’d needed it, before drilling this year’s maize crop.”

Growing costs, after the maize, worked out about £425/ha, made up of £178 for seed and fertiliser, £100 to plough and drill, and £147 to harvest and clamp. “And there are some hidden savings too,” adds Rob. “These come from less soil run off and reduced nutrient leaching.”

Hefty crop

The Moores sell home-bred stores at between 15 and 18 months old from this closed herd, through Bakewell Market. They aim to get steers to 420kg and heifers to 380kg. And they rely, as much as possible, on home-grown forage. They feed maize and grass silage, wholecrop, and they are now incorporating the forage rye silage in the ration.

And they will reap the benefit of a hefty forage rye crop. Harvesting it relatively late has yielded 40t/ha fresh weight and fermentation was good. Crude protein content was 92g/kg.

“The ME in this crop was only 7.2 – a little low because we cut it too late. But next year we will cut the crop before it heads and we would then expect an energy value far closer to 10,” says Rob. Despite having lower energy and crude protein levels than grass silage, typically around 10 ME/kg DM and between 11% and 12% CP, forage rye is an ideal feed for young stock and dry cows.

“For us, it will be a perfect dry cow and store cattle forage. Our store cattle are put on to a TMR from eight months old and we don’t feed any cerreals, so this will be a really valuable extra forage.”

Cost benefits

Looking at the costs verses yield, Brian Copestake estimates that a value of £20/t fresh weight can be attached to Humbolt forage rye, so yields above 22t/ha would represent a profit.

“With a yield of 40t/ha, the value of the forage rye crop in feed value is £800/ha – nearly double Rob’s growing and harvesting costs of £425/ha,” says Brian. “And if the crop was grazed – forage rye is ideal for early turnout grazing in the spring – the growing costs would drop to £278/ha on the Moore’s farm, making it even more attractive.

“The environmental advantages are an additional benefit,” he adds. “It makes real financial sense. There are 170,000 hectares of maize grown in the UK each year, and so potentially there is wasted opportunity.

“It’s also interesting that in other countries, including Denmark, legislation means that growers have to have ‘green fields’ with catch crops before a spring crop to avoid nutrient leaching and to support soil structure.”

Brian is seeing a growing trend among producers who are sowing cover crops that sit neatly between maize crops. “It’s attracting more interest. I’ve seen good crops of forage rye, and of the high yielding annual ryegrass Westerwold, in these situations. The choice of cover crop depends on the site, its soil type and the micro climate.

“Forage rye is robust,” he adds. “It will grow on a wide variety of soils and tends to resist pests and diseases. Humbolt has been bred for its winter hardiness and for producing an early bite, which can be up to three weeks earlier than Italian ryegrass. I think this is why we saw such high yields on the Moore’s unit.”

Mixture option

Another option for producers looking at cover crops is the mixture of forage rye and vetch, which is used in Lift ‘n Fix seeds mixture. This mixture meets the EFA greening scheme requirements and the higher protein value of the vetch increases its feed value.

Based on his success in growing forage rye, the Moores are set to follow this year’s maize harvest with another crop of Humbolt. “It makes sense to put our maize in a rotation and grow three crops in 18 months. We’re making the land pay and we’re also putting something back in to help the soil. But the icing on the cake is the additional quality forage for the cattle.”

For Craig Norrie, farm manager at Banchory Farm, Kirkcaldy, of JM Cochran Ltd, one of his fields of Zulu winter wheat has yielded 16t/ha at 17.8% moisture, off what he describes as his most ‘awkward field’.

“Whilst the crop has not been over a weighbridge, the local John Deere dealership has verified the yield,” he says.

Harvested over a 2 day period, starting on the evening on 30th August and finishing on 31st August using a John Deere T660i combine, Mr Norrie says he was really surprised when he saw the combine meter hitting the 16t/ha mark.

“This particular 42ha field is north facing, and we don’t usually expect to get our best yields off it, but the medium to heavy soils held onto the moisture back in the spring, and obviously the crop did not sacrifice any yield potential as a result of this.”

“The remaining 40ha’s of Zulu grown across two fields also yielded well, the field after oilseed rape came off at 15t/ha whilst the field drilled behind potatoes, yielded 14t/ha.”

At every level the crop has been superb, he says. “When I started going through the field with the combine I thought that there was something wrong as I was struggling to get through it and was thinking that I needed to ring the dealer, but in fact it was just down to the volume of straw!”

“The bushel weight has also been high, we would expect somewhere in the 70’s but this was way up in the 80’s –so produced a really bold sample.”

Highest yields

The 16t/ha crop of Zulu, drilled in the last week of September after OSR, at a seed rate of 190kgs/ha, established well, and continued to do well through to harvest, despite the difficult season.

Inputs were fairly standard he explains, adding that they were kept the same across all of the wheat, so the differences in yield didn’t come from that. “I am a stickler for ensuring that fungicides go on at the right time, so all three crops received a standard fungicide programme at the right timing”

“Soils are mapped so that variable rate P, K and lime can be applied. Nitrogen was applied as 46% urea, in three splits totalling 410kg/ha.”

Mr Norrie has always grown wheat for the distilling market, and has done very well in the past with Robigus. In fact, it was Zulu’s Robigus parentage that attracted him to the variety last year.

“As Robigus had done so well on the farm, we were looking to replace it with a variety that contained some Robigus genetics but with better disease resistance and improved yields, and this is exactly what Zulu offers.”

Breeders of Zulu, Limagrain UK, recognise that Zulu has a weakness for yellow rust, but with an appropriately timed protectant fungicide programme this should not be a problem; such as that used by Mr Norrie, who has not had any issues with the disease.

Douglas Bonn of Nickerson believes that Zulu is a credible choice for the northern grower looking to service the distilling market, and has seen the variety do well this season.   “In Scotland, the variety matures earlier than the AHDB Recommended List suggests and as the variety has a low vernalisation requirement similar to Claire is suitable for drilling up to the end of February.”

Work carried out by Limagrain supports this theory, says the breeders arable technical manager, Ron Granger. “We wanted to look at how seed rate and drilling date interact to affect the yield performance of a variety,” he explains.

Last autumn, Limagrain conducted a trial at Bishop Burton in Yorkshire, comparing the performance of a range of Limagrain wheat varieties. The trials were drilled at two drilling dates; early October and late October, and at three different seed rates; 200, 300 and 400 seeds/m², all in the same location.

“Limited data had suggested that LG Sundance was a high tillering variety and we needed additional data to support this, so we looked at how LG Sundance performed against Revelation specifically, as Revelation is a successful variety that is well managed on farm.”

“What we found was that LG Sundance was higher yielding at lower seed rates, at both drilling dates. At 200 seeds/m², LG Sundance showed a significant increase of final tiller number over Revelation.”

“LG Sundance showed the best yield at 300 seeds/m² when drilled later, whereas for Revelation, the highest yields were obtained at the higher seed rate of 400 seeds/m².”

“This backs up the information we had already seen from trials and on farm, that Revelation performs better at higher seed rates.”

Mr Granger adds that for both varieties, the later sowing date showed an increase in yield potential over the early sowing date, and confirmed the advantages of increasing seed rates, once past mid-October.

“What this means on farm, is that LG Sundance is a high tillering variety and growers should consider lower seed rates if planting before mid-October,” he says.

“Even at later sowings, the variety shows high yield potential at lower seed rates, so growers should only increase seed rates significantly if weather and soil conditions are not favourable for good plant establishment.”

“Using high seed rates will have implications on standing power and specific weight if plant canopies are too thick, and this is an important consideration for crop management in very high tillering varieties such as LG Sundance.”