However, this year the first variety to offer high yields and the highest ever Septoria tritici resistance rating LG Sundance has been added to the AHDB Recommended List.

Limagrain UK breeders of LG Sundance, feel optimistic that this step forward in genetic control of Septoria tritici goes some way towards the goal of an almost resistant variety in the future.

As breeders, we are now in a position where we increasingly understand the range of genetics in current varieties and throughout the material we have in our breeding programme, and we know that with this material we can breed for septoria resistances of 6 or 7, explains Ed Flatman, senior wheat breeder for the company.

“However, what has changed is that now we are looking at how novel combinations of some of these genetics can lead to better resistances, such as bringing together parental resistance, which on their own are not significant, but each contribute enough to create an overall better, more robust resistance.”

“The speed at which we are able to analyse the genetics that we have through the use of thousands of markers, allows us to look for trends and narrow these down to specific resistances relatively quickly.”

He points out that this approach was the basis of the breeding programme for Limagrain’s market leading variety Crusoe, which carries a septoria resistance rating of 6.7 – clarified as a 7.

“Crusoe’s rating is better than either of its parents, Gulliver (6) and Cordiale (5), and five years since it was recommended the resistance is still holding strong which shows how adding or stacking together smaller elements of resistance can have the desired effect, and be robust enough to withstand ever-changing climatic and disease challenges.”

“It’s a similar story with LG Sundance whose parents Hereward, Viscount and Cassius only offer a maximum  rating of 6, but when combined have a big effect to produce the exciting 7.3 rating that LG Sundance holds.”

Mr Flatman hopes that growers will welcome this genetic tool in terms of variety resistance, and utilise it to its full potential as there is no longer a need to choose yield over disease resistance, as has been the case in the past, considering varieties such as Crusoe and LG Sundance offer both high yields and good septoria resistance.

Arable, Environmental, Gamecover and Amenity Plots to see, all in one place!

This year will be bigger and better than ever before! We’ll not only be demonstrating our key arable varieties this year but you can also take a look at a wider range of products than ever, with plots for greening, soil improvements and environmental use, as well as gamecover and even amenity!

Genetic Solutions Zone

There will be 9 specialist plots this year demonstrating varieties which represent step-changes in variety breeding from plant breeders such as Limagrain, in our Genetic Solutions Zone. For each plot there’s information explaining the trait or characteristic, the benefits this brings to growers and notes on non-genetic solutions. Read the latest about our Septoria tritici work… 

The Knowledge Trail – Getting the most out of OSR

Why not join in with the new Knowledge Trail on ‘Getting the most out of OSR’ and speak to one of our experts, who will be on hand to answer any of your burning questions about all things WOSR? Read more about our OSR breeding… Or, for details on the Knowledge Trail, click here.

WIN 20ha of Seed, plus claim your Instant Win Scratchcard!

We’re running a Free Prize Draw to Win 20ha of Seed. The winning grower can choose from either LG Sundance winter wheat or Architect winter oilseed rape. On entering the prize draw, you can also claim your instant win scratchcard to win other fun prizes! For T&Cs click here…

Come and see for yourself on Stand 914!

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, oil content by 3% whilst increasing levels of glucosinolates and erucic acid.

The results come from an annual survey carried out by Limagrain, in collaboration with Agrii. Random leaf samples were taken from oilseed rape varieties in all of Agrii’s trials across the UK and tested in Limagrain’s laboratories at Rothwell, Lincs.

“We know that levels of TuYV incidence are associated with the distribution of aphids in the autumn before. Levels of aphids in the autumn of 2016 were at levels comparable to 2014, which was a high infection year, and this year again the link between high numbers of aphids in the autumn and corresponding levels of infections is clear, “says Dr Vasilis Gegas, senior oilseed rape breeder with Limagrain.

“You would expect to see high levels of infection in the more traditional OSR growing regions -but even here levels of infection are higher than ever before -100% of samples taken in Fincham, Kings Lynn were infected with TuYV, and 90% of samples taken from the Woolpit site in Suffolk were infected.”

“Most surprising of all was that 75% of leaf samples taken from the Balbeggie site in Perth were infected, and this is the first time that we have seen such high levels of infection in Scotland.”

“However, we are also seeing higher than expected levels of infection in the west country, with 50% samples infected at the Brackley site, and 45% at the Agrifocus site in Swindon.

“It is clear from these results that TuYV is endemic in the UK OSR crop, irrespective of region and is directly linked to the autumn aphid migration. “

MAP: Levels of TUYV infection in 2017

The challenge with TuYV is that it is difficult to identify visually and often yield losses will be attributed to other factors, says David Leaper of Agrii.

Early symptoms of TuYV can be expressed by purpling of the leaves, interveinal yellowing and reddening of leaf margins and can easily be confused with other stress symptoms and nutritional deficiencies.  The symptoms can often go unnoticed altogether which is why the effect of the virus is underestimated.

“With the loss of neonicotinoid seed treatments and a move to earlier drilling and increasing resistance to insecticides, control of aphids has become more and more difficult and subsequently aphid-borne diseases more prevalent,” he says.

“There is some good activity to be had from the new foliar insecticides, Biscaya (thiaclorpid) and Plenum (pymetrozine), however both of these have very limited persistence and it’s very difficult to optimise the timing of these with when the aphids migrating.”

Mr Leaper urges growers to strongly consider the role that varietal resistance can play.

“The most exciting news for OSR growers this autumn is that they have the option of choosing high-yielding TuYV-resistant varieties, that have been proven to mitigate yield losses particularly in high infection situations.”

Resistance to TuYV is a trait that has been pioneered by the Limagrain OSR breeding programme, Limagrain’s Amalie was the first variety to carry this resistance back in 2014, and since then the Limagrain breeding programme has been able to eliminate the yield penalty associated with the introduction of the TuYV resistance into OSR.

Recent trials show that TuYV-resistant varieties can deliver an additional yield of up to 10% under severe infection when compared to non-resistant varieties, says Les Daubney, Limagrain’s oilseed rape product manager.

“Our new TuYV resistant varieties therefore have high yield potential and the necessary traits and agronomic characters that enable the crop to reach and maintain that potential on farm.

Our candidate varieties, Annalise and Architect, offer much higher yields and a range of valuable traits and agronomics to suit the UK grower.”

Nigel Walley, nationals seed manager at Agrovista, says Annalise’s gross output values of 105% and 106% for the East/West and North regions respectively are as good as the best on either Recommended List in practice.

“When you take into account the least significant difference on these lists Annalise is right up there, even when TuYV is absent,” he adds.

Annalise, a conventional variety, has no weaknesses at all, says Mr Walley. “It has the highest oil content on the list at 46.9%, it is strong on light leaf spot and phoma and it is not going to lodge.

“It also has good early vigour and a long pod-filling period, a trait we associate with consistently high-yielding varieties.”

Limited quantities of seed will be in demand this autumn, says Mr Walley, who urges growers to order soon.

Limagrain has also introduced the TuYV resistance trait into the RL candidate hybrid, Architect, where the variety has yielded 105% in the east/west and 104 in the north.

“Along with characteristics such as pod shatter resistance, winter hardiness and excellent autumn vigour, the high potential yield of Architect is locked in and protected,” says Mr Leaper.

“The variety also offers relatively good resistance to the two key diseases, stem canker and Light Leaf Spot. “

For more information on the survey or discuss any of the unique TuYV resistant varieties, please come to the Limagrain stand no 914 at the Cereals event.

“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.”

LG Motown is a top-yielding soft wheat which meets the needs of the distilling market, and bucks the trend of early maturing varieties producing lower yields so, unlike other high yielding wheats, LG Motown doesn’t rely on having a longer grain fill period to build high yields.

This is particularly exciting news for growers who have to harvest early due to rotational and time constraints such as drilling oilseed rape or potato harvesting, and will no doubt be of great interest to northern growers who place a high value on early maturity, says Ed Flatman, senior wheat breeder for Limagrain.

He says that it has been a key objective of the Limagrain breeding programme to unlock the antagonism that had previously existed between early maturing wheats and yields.

“When looking at the AHDB Recommended List, LG Motown stands apart from the crowd in terms of its relative maturity, which is a day earlier than the control variety JB Diego, whilst producing very high yields of 103% in the east, and 104% in the north – and these yields sit well within the entire group of soft and hard Group 4’s – so are pretty impressive, says Mr Flatman.
This yield is also reflected in untreated trials, where LG Motown yields at 89% of the treated control; up 3% from that of Revelation.

“This shows just how robust the variety’s excellent disease resistance ratings are, with a top score of 9 for yellow rust, 7 for brown rust and an 8 for mildew, and a good rating of 6 for Septoria tritici.”

Mr Flatman points out that LG Motown has similar grain attributes to other leading commercial soft feed varieties on the list, with a specific weight of 75.3 kg/hl and a HFN of 217 – so alongside the high yields parallel to hard Group 4’s. LG Motown also offers distilling opportunities – a valuable proposition particularly for growers in the north.

Agronomics on offer

Ron Granger, technical arable manager with Limagrain, notes that LG Motown is a ‘Revelation type’ but with the additional benefits of WOBM resistance and early maturity – agronomic characters that growers have been asking for when looking to replace Revelation.

LG Motown does not have the eyespot resistance that Revelation possesses and although this should not be an issue in most circumstances, the use of a prescribed fungicide for eyespot control should be implemented if conditions for high disease levels occur, he says.

“The variety has a prostrate winter growth habit identified by a quicker growth and more erect plant type in the spring. These characters along with the variety’s performance in a later drilling scenario would suggest the variety should be of use in a blackgrass situation.”

LG Motown is a moderate to high tillering variety, which is a valuable trait when seed rate or plant counts have been compromised, he adds.

“However, it is not as stiff-strawed as Revelation, and is not a variety that should be drilled early; its optimum drilling date is mid–Sept onwards. Revelation or Claire should be the varieties of choice for this situation.”

Mr Granger points out that whilst the variety has shown very good yield performance across differing soil types, LG Motown’s performance on light soils is comparable with the best varieties available, possibly due to its more rapid spring growth, better specific weight and early maturity characteristics.

Due to his large potato enterprise, Andrew Smales of Manor Farm, near Hull, is always looking for ways to bring his wheat harvest forward to spread the workload and reduce risk from erratic weather at harvest.

“Our aim is to have a spread of maturities so that we can spread the workload at what is a very busy time! Having an early variety is particularly important and I have grown Beluga and Grafton in this slot, but I’m now looking for something with higher yields.”

“We have done well with Revelation in the past, so this year, on the advice of our seed specialist Marc Lanham from Nickerson, we are trialling 8ha of LG Motown based on its earliness and disease resistance profile,” he says.

“So far we are really pleased with the crop, the LG Motown has looked good from the start, it tillered out well, remained prostrate for longer in the early spring, and was in ear a week before the Revelation or Evolution in neighbouring fields and it’s looking promising as we head towards harvest – if it does well it would be a real contender for more acres next year.”

LG Motown’s resistance ratings have meant that Mr Smales’ agronomist, Alastair Moore of Holderness Agroservices, could recommend a lower cost fungicide programme, opting for just one SDHI at T2 to which the crop has responded well.

“I am always more confident taking this approach when varieties have shown a good run of consistency in performance with the ever changing rust races. Yellow rust and Septoria are the main disease issues here in this region, and despite some serious pressure from both earlier on in the season, the LG Motown has remained clean.”

• 8 ha drilled 24^th September 2016
• Seed rate: 360 seeds/m2
• Fungicide inputs:
  • T0 first week of April:6l/ha Rubric (epoxiconazole) 1l/ha CTL
  • T1 last week of April: 1l/ha Brutus (epoxiconazole + metconazole), 1l CTL
  • T2 third week May: 1l/ha Brutus (epoxiconazole + metconazole), 1l/ha Imtrex (fluxapyroxad), 1l/ha CTL
  • T3 15^th June: 0.5l/ha Kestrel (prothioconazole+ tebuconazole)

In light of the pressures on OSR at the start of the season from cabbage stem flea beetle, black-grass and slugs, an OSR variety that has a good strong growth habit in the autumn gets a head start, there’s no question about it, he says.

“If OSR doesn’t grow you can’t do anything with it, but you can control luxurious growth so it’s always better to look for a variety that is going to give you a crop at the end of the season.”

As Head of Seeds for Openfield, Mr Bennett visits many trials around the country looking at pipeline and current varieties. Varieties of interest are then placed into Openfield farmer trials.

“These trials are a good test ground for looking at OSR varieties two or three years before commercialisation. Generally they will all be top yielders, so its differences in agronomics that I want to pull apart. I’m looking for characteristics that will make the crop easier to grow.”

John Hawthorne of Flawbrough Farms, Flawborough in Nottinghamshire has hosted Openfield OSR trials on his farm for ten years and believes that the insight it gives him into how varieties perform in-situ is invaluable.

“In this way I can find out which varieties suit our heavy clay soils, our way of farming and the chemistry that we use. Resistant black-grass now dictates a lot of what we do on the farm starting with variety choice, and the trials give me a clear indication of how competitive varieties are from the start.”

With 2,000 hectares to look after either of owned or contract farmed land, Mr Hawthorne has been growing OSR since 1976. “Since then it’s always been predominantly wheat followed by OSR, but recently we have broadened this out into a rotation that includes winter barley and spring beans, so that we can really start to deal with the challenging resistant black-grass across the farm.”

Of the total OSR area grown at Flawbrough Farms, 60-70% is down to hybrid varieties as they tend to yield better as a result of their vigour and pod shatter resistance, says Mr Hawthorne.

Lee Bennett introduced the Limagrain hybrid Aquila to Flawborough Farms a year ago after seeing the variety in trials.

It was visiting the Limagrain breeding trials when he first saw the new hybrid from its UK OSR breeding programme, Aquila.

“Walking through about 6,000 anonymous plots, this particular variety stopped me dead in my tracks  – it was vigorous and looked really good – in fact it demonstrated a growth habit similar to Extrovert which is well known for its strong autumn and spring growth habit – and has been hard to replicate in any of the new up and coming varieties – until Aquila. “

On this basis, Aquila was introduced into the Flawborough OSR trials in 2015, and is now in its second year of being grown as a commercial crop, alongside four other varieties, Alizze, Campus, the Clearfield variety Veritas and Dariat.

Although Mr Hawthorne prefers to delay drilling until late August early September because of the risk of lack of moisture, he has to balance this with earlier drilling to combat flea beetle damage.

“I like to have a range of varieties that give me a spread of drilling and harvest dates.”

“Aquila can go in earlier as it gets up and away quickly, but is stiff strawed so can cope. This year we will look to drill early where OSR is following barley.”

OSR is drilled using a Horsch Sprinter 12-metre drill straight into chopped straw, with as little movement of the soil as possible to reduce black-grass germination.

” I don’t want to be able to see that I have drilled into a field!”

Recommended on the E/W AHDB List, Aquila has a gross output of 108% of controls, above that of Wembley 107% and Incentive 106%.

In the 2016 Flawborough harvest results Aquila yielded 4.87t/ha, and combined with its high oil output (45.7%) produced a gross output of £1467/ha, just £1/ha behind Campus and well above Alizze at £1345/ha. (Based on an OSR price of £280/t)

Aquila’s 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,” says Mr Bennett.

He 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, and reduce volunteers in the following crop.

“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.”

“Forage plantain and chicory are popular in New Zealand, both as straight crops and in grazing mixtures,” says Sinclair McGill’s grass seed manager Ian Misselbrook. “Many UK producers could take advantage of these ‘hidden gems’ that can extend the grazing season, improve the supply of minerals and trace elements, and boost live weight gains when it comes to raising youngstock or finishing lambs.”

But especially relevant this year – and one reason why Mr Misselbrook has seen significant increases in seed sales of these two crops –  is their drought tolerance.

“Both crops have fibrous roots that provide a degree of drought tolerance,” he adds. “And UK producers find both plantain and chicory as reliable as grass but with extended grazing through July and August when grass growth has slowed due to lack of rainfall.”

Easy growing

Plantain and chicory are easy to grow. They can be established on a range of soil types, but a free draining soil is preferable. “Fields prone to waterlogging should be avoided,” says Mr Misselbrook, adding that a firm, fine and weed free seed bed is required and it is best sown into warm soils above 10^OC. Sowing is best through spring and up to July, and at a depth no greater than 10mm. Drilling the seed is best, but broadcasting the seed and then rolling can also be successful.

“Both can be added to a grass and clover seed mixture and established in a similar fashion with fertiliser applications as required.”

Forage Chicory will reach full production in 14 to 16 weeks. It is then best rotationally grazed every five to six weeks to prevent flowering. Recovery post grazing is rapid and the crop is a rich source of trace elements and minerals and doesn’t produce any bloat problems – it will even tolerate low pH soils of 5.0.

Plantain should not be grazed until the plant has six fully grown leaves – by then the root system will be fully developed. Like chicory, forage plantain can be rotationally grazed and provides a highly palatable feed rich in minerals, especially calcium, sodium, copper and selenium.

Trial work carried out by Dairy NZ compared intakes and milk production of groups of cows grazing a typical summer ryegrass with 9.6ME, leys with between 20% and 40% chicory and leys with 20% to 40% plantain. Cows in the latter two grazing systems had intakes 6% above those on the ryegrass ley with 17% greater milk solid yields.

When pasture of higher dry matter was compared with chicory and plantain mixtures there was no difference in milk production. “This work demonstrates the benefit of plantain and chicory in a grass mixture as a longer term crop option that can withstand drier conditions, is easier to manage and offers flexibility,” says Mr Misselbrook.

UK trials have shown that ewes and finishing lambs will selectively graze both plantain and chicory in a mixed pasture. “These forages provide variety in the grazing diet and encourage intakes. We have seen swards with plantain support weight gains in weaned lambs of 250g to 350g per day at high stocking rates,” he adds. “And swards of chicory have been shown to increase both ewe milk production and the rate of live-weight gain in finishing lambs.”

The performance of ewes with triplet lambs aged between nine and 10 weeks old and grazed on Tonic plantain was also compared in New Zealand work with ewes and twin lambs on grass and on lucerne leys. The average lamb weight at finishing in the lambs on the Tonic leys was 37.5kg, compared with 31kg and 32kg respectively for the lambs on the lucerne and on the grass.

“This work demonstrates the potential of chicory and plantain mixtures. Following the exceptionally dry spring, livestock producers can consider these crops with a degree of confidence – knowing that they can produce high quality feed even in drought prone conditions.”

Visit Limagrain’s newly revamped TuYV website www.tuyv.co.uk which provides growers and agronomists with the latest information, news and expert opinion on the threat from TuYV and possible solutions for next season’s crop.

“Covering all you need to know about TuYV from recognizing the symptoms of the disease TuYV, how it impacts yields, to solutions such as advice on choosing resistant varieties, and optimising agchem solutions, the website is intended to be a one-stop-shop for everything TuYV,” says Les Daubney of Limagrain.

Resistance to TuYV is a trait that has been pioneered by the Limagrain OSR breeding programme; Limagrain’s Amalie was the first variety to carry this resistance back in 2014, and since then the Limagrain breeding programme has been able to eliminate the yield penalty associated with the introduction of the TuYV resistance into OSR.  Limagrain’s candidate varieties for this year, Annalise and Architect offer much higher yields and a range of valuable traits and agronomics to suit the UK grower.

Visit www.tuyv.co.uk for all of this information and to sign up for the latest TuYV news.

Sprayed off on the 5^th July and then harvested 19 days later on the 25^th July, the crop is one of the highest yielding in the last 5-6 years at 4.8t/ha and under 10% moisture. “We just have the one field of OSR on the farm, and this was drilled on the 10^th August and has looked pretty good all season – however it’s hard to tell with rape how this will play out in yield – but this crop has been really pleasing, “he says.

“I’m just glad that I have the crop in the shed as bad weather is forecast for the next few days.”

Last year, Mr Stirrat lost a large amount of his rape crop just before harvest when strong winds swept through the farm, causing extensive pod shatter, reducing his yields down to 1t/ha.

Nick Wallace of Nickerson Seeds, says it is the only crop of OSR in the Perth area that he has seen in the shed, and is delighted that the variety has delivered what it says on the box.

“Archimedes is a clubroot resistant variety that offers the valuable traits of pod shatter resistance, early flowering and maturity – the benefits of which Mr Stirrat is enjoying now. With its excellent disease resistance to light leaf spot and stem canker, Archimedes is a variety particularly suitable to growers in the north.”

Dugald Hamilton, who runs the mixed cereal, fruit and livestock business with his brother John, put 800 North Country Cheviot hogs onto the 14-acre field at the turn of the year and, from the growth rates and uniformity of the crop, he is expecting yields well north of 50 tonnes per acre – a very good crop, he admits, for the farm where swedes are grown annually as part of a cereal, grass and roots rotation.

“The cold weather is looming and we’re glad of this year’s high energy feed supply,” says Dugald, who is no newcomer to growing and feeding swedes.

This year Dugald has tried a new variety – Lomond. “I saw a crop on a neighbouring farm that looked really well and they were very pleased with it so I got 14 acres of graded and treated seed from Nickerson’s Nick Wallace.”

By early November Dugald says the crop ‘was really looking the part’. “All the plants were touching with no blanks across the field. The crop was so consistent – in fact the most uniform crop of swedes we’ve ever grown and very clean. Variety has certainly played a part but good weather at sowing time and a warm spell at the end of May helped the crop establish.

“We strip graze the swedes as this allows us to manage the waste and the nets are normally shifted each week. They’re eating the swedes right down this year with very little waste and this is exactly what we are looking for.”

Dugale measures the real benefit of a crop in its ability to feed and grow the hogs well. They will be finished mid March and then sold.

“With these high yields we’ll expect to add three weeks onto their grazing time. We normally graze swedes from Christmas until the end of February. This year there should be plenty of feed for them until mid-March. This reduces our feed cost and improves feed efficiency.”

The swede seed is drilled into ploughed and worked land following cereals in early May – a bit later than many but he finds that this timing reduces the risk of flea beetle. He uses a 6-row drill with graded seed and plants 10 rows of swedes, six inches deep, then two rows of Caladonian kale to form natural breaks. They then apply a post-emergence spray.

“We find this system of drilling easy to manage and we have more control which has its advantages for weed control. Both crops have deep roots so they are good for the soil.”

Swedes are included as part of the seven-year rotation at Bruceton Farm. “It may seem old-fashioned to follow a rotation like this and include roots, but I am convinced it maintains the organic matter and fertility of the soil and helps to keep fertiliser costs down. We grow good crops and many disease problems like blackgrass are unknown here. So swedes offer us a few benefits and I think, from this year’s experience, it’s worth a look at better varieties when it comes to feed value.”

“Jack Russell remains one of our most popular wild bird seed mixture,” says Limagrain marketing manager Martin Titley. “It includes triticale, grain sorghum – that gives the crop structure during the winter and red and white millet and sunflower seed that produce high volumes of feed, starting in early autumn.”

A key feature of Jack Russell is its tolerance to herbicide. “Stomp Aqua can be used on the crop to treat problems like fat hen, grass weeds, chickweed and nettles,” adds Mr Titley. “This means that the crop can be easier to establish, especially on more difficult areas.”

Jack Russell can also be used by farmers on the Government’s entry level scheme and it is also eligible for the new countryside stewardship scheme. “And, as a bonus, the attractiveness of this mixture is very popular – the sunflowers add a splash of colour to the landscape.”

The HiBird seed range also includes tried and tested kale, brassicas, sunflower, millet and maize as well specifically designed game cover mixtures.

“Most importantly, we’ve included a question and answer section to guide growers in selecting the best mixture for their site and to counter problems such as animal damage and establishment issues on difficult sites,” adds Mr Titley. “And with help from BASF UK, we have included a comprehensive herbicide guide for each crop in the brochure.”

The HiBird brochure includes a practical guide to the cropping options within the Countryside Stewardship scheme. “We’ve highlighted the environmental benefits of each option and the particular seed mixtures that fulfil these benefits. This makes mixture selection straight-forward. Growers can see which seed mixture has particular attributes in certain areas, for example as pollinators, grass field margins, buffer strips and as food sources for wild and farmland birds.”

Limagrain’s HiBird Gamecover and Conservation Crops brochure is available from Emily Short on 01472 370117 or emily.short@limagrain.co.uk or downloaded from lgseeds.co.uk/hibird and selecting a mixture.

Shredlage™, a more aggressive method of processing maize silage has been a success in the US.  Farmers in the UK are now exploring whether the technique will deliver similar benefits here.

Shredlage™ production, a technique developed by Claas, involves a combination of a longer chop length, rolling of the grain to crush the kernel and lengthwise shredding of the stalk.  Typical chop length will be 26-30mm compared to 20-25mm without shredding using a traditional forager.  It is claimed this intensive processing bring a range of benefits.

Trials at the University of Wisconsin showed increased milk yields with typical US diets. One of the reasons for the yield response is the greater chop length and physical processing of the chopped material.  With typical US diets comprising up to 70% maize silage in the forage portion of the diet, the chop length of maize will have a marked effect on overall rumen health.

With 650 dairy cows averaging over 11,200 litres Neil Parkhouse, who farms near Mevagissey in Cornwall, is determined to grow and utilise the most productive forage he can.

He makes around 335 acres on maize silage every year for the all year round housed herd, using a Claas Jaguar 970 forage harvester.  This year he replaced the cracker with a shredlage™ unit.

“Our aim is to make the best quality forage we can,” Neil explains.  “This means growing the best available varieties, focussing on agronomy to produce a good crop and then processing it as effectively as possible so we have a palatable, high quality feed.

“Having read about shredlage™, it seemed to offer us some ways to improve the diet.  If we could improve fibre digestion in the maize, we could potentially remove straw from the diet for high yielders, improving energy density and saving money.”

So this year the entire acreage has been made as shredlage™.  The maize acreage was put down to Limagrain Ambition.  It is one of the Limagrain Animal Nutrition varieties, evaluated for all the key parameters affecting nutritional value, namely starch content and yield, ME content, and yield, CWD, dry matter yield, dry matter percent at harvest and early vigour.

“We were not going to compromise on the quality of the variety grown,” Neil continues.  “Ambition has been a consistent performer and even if the new technique will improve feed value, we still wanted to work from the best start point available with a high energy content and good cell wall digestibility.”

There were no differences to the agronomy compared to traditional silaging.  The crop was drilled in the last week of April, as soon as soil temperatures were adequate.  Harvesting was carried out from 14-20 October.

“We were later finishing than expected because we had a few teething troubles.  We set the unit to chop at 25mm compared to the 21mm chop length we usually use.  We also screwed the cracker down tight to process the cob.  Fuel use was slightly higher but not significantly so.”

Working with nutritionist Alan Moore from ACT, Neil is now learning how best to incorporate the feed into the system.

“On paper there doesn’t appear to be much difference in the analysis,” Alan Moore comments.  “The maize is 41% dry matter, 75.5 D value, 12.1 ME, with 34% starch and a starch degradability of 72%.  The grain is very well processed and evenly spread through the clamp.  It is certainly feeding better than the analysis, with a degradability more like 80%.”

The fresh calver diet is formulated for M+36 litres with an 18% high energy compound fed to yield through out of parlour feeders.  The diets for 2015/16 and the current diet are shown in the table

“We have been looking to increase yield from forage for several years with a focus on forage quality and achieving high forage intakes,” Alan Moore continues.

“With the shredlage™ we hoped to increase forage intakes and save on straw and we have managed to do this, but the biggest surprise was the impact on starch levels.  Despite the later harvesting, the extensive processing of the grain means that the silage is feeding more like a February feed where starch degradability has improved.

“When we introduced the maize we saw a slight fall in butterfats due to too much starch in the diet.  To balance the diet we fine-tuned the proportion of forages with more grass silage and a bit less maize.  We also took out 1kg of akagrain.

“Since making the change butterfats have recovered and the high yield group is still averaging 43.5 litres/day.  We have managed to move the forage concentrate ration from 50:50 last year to 56:44 this year (66:34 in the TMR itself) and feed rate per litre is falling.  Diet presentation is good with little sign of sorting, there is very little rejection and we cows are consuming 27.9kgDM/day.”

Neil Parkhouse is pleased with performance so far, adding that the more vigorous processing appears to be delivering nutritional and financial benefits.  “We have been able to cut out straw as we had hoped and by doing this we will be saving over £2000/month in the value of the straw used and the cost of processing it.  In addition, cutting out the concentrates will save us a similar amount which improving the proportion of forage in the diet and promoting rumen health.

“The extra processing seems to have had benefits on both fibre and starch but I think is still important to start with a high quality variety which will produce a quality feed irrespective of how it is processed, as I don’t think processing alone will turn a poor variety into a good one,” Neil concludes.

Table 1 High yield diets