Both varieties offer sugar beet growers an opportunity to raise yields and meet end-user requirements at a time when margins are squeezed and reduced inputs welcomed.

BTS 860 is a rhizomania tolerant variety offering very high adjusted tonnes yield at 103.6% of controls, alongside one of the highest sugar contents on the Recommended List at 18.4%, which makes it a very attractive variety for professional sugar beet growers looking to meet the high requirements of sugar processors.

“BTS 860 is likely to appeal to the vast majority of sugar beet growers who find crops perform best when drilled starting during the conventional early sugar beet drilling slot which our Betaseed breeders define as from the  2^nd week of March until the end of the drilling period,” says Limagrain sugar beet consultant, Bram van der Have.

During what BBRO refers to as the ‘normal sowing time’, BTS 860 has one of the lowest scores for tendency to bolt.  “Or to sum up BTS 860 drilling virtues, it offers flexible sowing and is suitable for early, normal and late sowing.”

He adds that the BBRO RL normal sown bolting data has been obtained from UK bolting trials sown after the 5 March, and this reflects the sowing time of the majority of the UK beet crop. “The UK beet drilling survey indicates that in a favourable year less than 5% of the crop is drilled as “early” with no more than 15% drilled by mid-March.”

“The average drilling date for the UK sugar beet crop has been 25^th March for the last couple of years and has remained stable over time. It follows that for the vast majority of the UK beet crop the bolting ratings from normal sowings are applicable to judge a variety’s growing risk.”

BTS 860’s disease resistance offerings reflect the key threats faced by UK sugar beet growers and offers good resistance to these; BTS 860 has a very good rating of 6 for rust and good rating of 5 for powdery mildew. The variety has also exhibited a very good tolerance for downy mildew.

“An establishment score of 99% will give growers the confidence that BTS 860 has the vigour needed to get going even in challenging situations.”

BTS 260 is the second highest yielding variety to join the Recommended List in 2017 offering a remarkable 104.1% adjusted tonnes, with a sugar content of 18.1%, making it a very attractive proposition for growers and end-users alike.

Rhizomania tolerant, BTS 260 has a robust set of disease resistances offering a very good rating of 6 for rust and 5 for powdery mildew, and again data would suggest very good tolerance for downy mildew.

Mr van der Have points out that BTS 260 is suitable for the normal and late sowing slot, which would be from mid-March onwards.

These new varieties are a welcome addition to the Limagrain portfolio which also includes the established varieties BTS 470 and BTS 340. The variety BTS 470 has shown one of the best consistency of performance over very differing seasons of any commercial variety available.

“It’s is all very well to opt for today’s top yielder on the recommended list.  But will it be next year’s too?  Consistency in performance is equally, if not more important than topping the yield table.  One can budget on consistency but only gamble on the top yield.”

Bram van der Have believes that downy mildew is a re-merging threat to a number of UK growers in certain parts of East Anglia, and that with no recommended chemical control options available, genetic resistance is crucial to help in combatting the effects of the disease.

“Downy mildew would appear to be seasonal and is associated with conditions of low temperature and high humidity. In the UK high infection pressure has been observed over the last four years primarily associated with the chalky beet growing soils in the western part of East Anglia, “he explains.

Genetic resistance to downy mildew is known and high genetic-based tolerance levels to this disease have been observed in six trials sponsored by the BBRO and BSPB in 2014 and 2015. The present range of commercially available Betaseed bred varieties including BTS 860 and BTS 470,appear to exhibit tolerance to downy mildew and are amongst the best available.

Both BTS 860 and BTS 260 are bred by Betaseed, for whom Limagrain is the marketing agent in the United Kingdom.  Betaseed is the most successful breeder in the United States whist its German subsidiary develops varieties for European markets and has made some significant introductions  in several countries.

Simon and Ross Dorrington from Dunsby, near Bourne cut 10 hectares of LGAN Quality Silage on May 4, reporting the biggest crop they’ve ever cut this early.

First cut silage is normally taken at least a week later and can be in to mid-May on this 300-cow dairy unit but the mild winter and a new grass seed mixture led to a bulky crop that grew all winter.

“It grew amazingly well, considering how cold the spring has been,” said Simon, who is trying out the LGAN mixture for its good agronomic qualities that have been combined with high ME, digestible fibre and sugars. “This will boost home grown forage supplies and give us a quality feed.  It’s a good start to the season,” he adds, encouraged too by warmer temperatures this week that will encourage good regrowth for the second cut.

Known varieties that under-perform in the second wheat situation would appear to have a negative effect on the following wheat crop, if grown in the first wheat situation, says Ron Granger, arable technical manager.

“This would suggest that these poor second wheat varieties allow take-all inoculum to build up in the soil, which can lead to devastating yield loss in the second wheat situation, especially if a poor second wheat variety is selected.”

“Many wheats marked as ’good’ second wheats on the AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Recommended List may not actually be the most suitable for this position due to a lack of good phenotypic data, as this second wheat root disease is complex and not straight forward.”

“Take-all infection in the field is very sporadic and consistent evaluation of the data is difficult, but never the less, we do have seasons showing high levels of take-all and it is important to acknowledge the diverse differences in varieties.”

Mr Granger believes that from a take-all management point of view, first and second wheats need to be considered as pairs. Trials work carried out by Limagrain in 2008/9, which were both seasons with high take-all incidences, show the performance of a second wheat can differ by as much as 4.2t/ha if the wrong first wheat precedes – a significant impact on farm income!

While some growers may select a variety with high eyespot resistance for a second wheat slot, he wonders if these cultivars would be more useful in the first wheat position, as interestingly the trials work carried out in 2008/9 suggested that a variety with Pch1 (Rendezvous) eyespot resistance grown in the first wheat situation had lower take-all build up, with the knock on effect of higher yields achieved in the second year for all varieties tested.

However, when choosing a variety for second wheat, take-all isn’t the only pathogen that growers should bear in mind, he continues.

“Eyespot, both sharp and common, and fusarium foot rot all need to be borne in mind.” 

Mr Granger believes that with new technologies such as the CT scanner technology at the University of Nottingham and the work being done by several of the institutes on take-all, will allow us to get a better handle on this complex disease.

“New and evolving technologies will allow researchers and breeders to analyse a variety’s root mass in a non-destructive manner. This means that breeders may be able to select for more robust varieties against take-all, by choosing varieties with greater root-mass development in conjunction with varieties that inhibit lower levels of take-all build up.”

A scientific paper based on work at Rothamsted in 2010 confirmed these findings (McMillan, Hammond-Kosack; Gutteridge 2010). The project produced the first evidence of relatively consistent differences between wheat cultivars in their interactions with the take-all fungus, which could give an indication of those cultivars that could be grown as a first wheat crop, in order to reduce the risk of damaging take-all in a second wheat crop. This phenomenon has been named the take-all inoculum build-up (TAB) trait.

“We still have a lot to learn about the second wheat scenario but slowly and scientifically we are starting to unravel the complexities associated with the take-all disease. Hopefully in the future we may be able to achieve yields comparable as a first wheat for the second wheat situation, as this would certainly benefit growers for raising farm incomes across the UK, “says Mr Granger.

Founded in 1690, Haberdashers’ is a British public school for boy’s which frequently tops the academic league tables. It has been voted the best school in the country on three occasions and a large percentage of the student body goes on to study at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

As well as Haberdashers’ academic prowess, sport also plays an integral part of school life. Students can thrive within the excellent sports facilities the school has to offer; which includes 12 rugby and/or football pitches, 2 all-weather hockey pitches, 3 grass cricket squares, 3 artificial cricket wickets, the Solai indoor cricket centre, a double size sports hall, indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, fitness suite, 400metre grass running track with synthetic sprint track and jump/throw areas, and a shooting range.

The man tasked with keeping the sporting facilities in immaculate condition is Mike, who tends to the grounds with his 8 dedicated members of staff.

However, it could have been a very different story. Originally, Mike was on course to earn a qualification in gamekeeping and fisheries management but after Tony Blair outlawed hunting, it seemed that a career as a gamekeeper would present limited opportunities. Fortunately for Haberdashers’, he decided to pursue a diploma in greenkeeping and sports turf. He then went to work at a number of prestigious establishments including Merchant Taylors’ School and Harrow School before landing the grounds manager position at Haberdashers’.

That was five years ago and Mike’s experience and ability is most certainly benefitting the facilities of Haberdashers’. Ever the perfectionist, Mike insists on using only the finest products and after not achieving the results he desired with his previous grass seed, he decided to conduct thorough research into making sure he had the best product on the market.

“I just wasn’t getting the results I wanted – slow establishment and I didn’t get the colour or the density. I had always known of Limagrain and I wanted to hear from people who had used it – so I asked around. Andy Matthews at Clifton College and Adam King from Radley College were quick to recommend Limagrain’s MM60 and MM50 without hesitation.

“After purchasing some I actually conducted a trial between three leading grass seeds, one of which was MM60, just to see which one was the best. Initially you couldn’t see a lot of difference, but after a while Limagrain really came into its own. I found that the MM60 would just sit on the pitch a lot more while the others would kick out more easily and lose their colour.

“The MM50, which I use on the squares, is a great product too. It stays in the surface incredibly well and withstands a lot of wear. It binds the clay together, you get great colour and you also get decent recovery. It’s a pure mixture, there’s not been any impurities at all and it proves that you are buying a decent product.”

Mike is now in his third year of using Limagrain’s MM50 and MM60 and this summer, the products put the ‘icing on the cake’ to some major pitch improvements at Haberdashers’. He certainly had his work cut out as he oversaw a half a million pound project to install four brand new rugby pitches and a cricket outfield, which included a new drainage system and borehole with the means to irrigate the pitches. When the project reached the point of seeding, there was only one option for Michael.

“When we sat down with the consultant, a different seed was suggested to me but I said that I wanted to stick with what I knew. I know what it can do and I’d rather have something that I know works just to complete the job. The MM range is a brand I trust and I guess it was just the comfort of knowing how well it performs.

“Within 4 or 5 days, with watering, it was up and running and was a beautiful green colour. I was impressed with the speed of which it came up and from there we just kicked on.

“Overall, I’ve been genuinely impressed with everything from Limagrain. The customer service is excellent and it’s never a hard sell with them – in fact I’m encouraged to test it against other products which show’s great confidence in the products. There’s absolutely no reason at all for me to change,” he said.

For further information, please contact us on 01472 371471 or visit our website www.limagrain.co.uk/amenity. Follow us on Twitter: @MM_Seed

This is due to the high energy content of swedes and their low growing costs compared with other fodder crops. Limagrain’s forage crop manager Martin Titley, encouraged by the latest trial results on the newer varieties, is recommending that sheep producers consider swedes in the next few weeks when the winter’s crop will be sown.

“The pressure is on livestock producers to grow crops with high nutritional value,” he says. “But growing costs should be taken into account to make sure the production of sheep and lambs is cost-effective. Now is the time to think about swedes and their value as part of next year’s feed stocks.”

Swedes have a metabolisable energy (ME)of 12.8 to 13.1MJ/kg dry matter. This is a lot higher than many other commonly grown fodder crops. “But the low growing cost, estimated at £403 per hectare, makes the crop attractive as this is far less than crops of similar nutritional value.”

Yields will vary depending on the variety grown. The most recent trials, carried out on behalf of Limagrain UK at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland, show that the modern varieties Gowrie and Lomond gave an extra 18% and 11% dry matter yields per hectare respectively than the older variety Ruta Otofte that was used as the control. This can provide an extra tonne of dry matter per hectare.

“So looking at the best variety is important and it’s not just down to yields,” he adds. “Time of feeding – pre or post Christmas, should be considered along with disease resistance. More recent varieties bring advantages here with Gowrie and Lomond  – both modern varieties  – having tolerance to clubroot and powdery mildew.”

Swedes can be grown on a range of soils and can be sown from April to the end of June ready for feeding, mainly in situ, from early autumn until late winter. “They are a hardy and reliable crop to grow and, with some crops capable of producing up to 10 tonnes of dry matter per hectare of high energy feed that can successfully take a crop of lambs through winter to finishing, they can underpin quality feed supplies.”

Ever tried Bean Beer? Now’s your chance! Try one on us at Cereals 2016, where our breeders, technical and sales staff will all be available to guide you through all aspects of our arable portfolio.

Join us on Stand 1116.

We’re running a free prize draw to win 20ha of WOSR seed, winner to choose one of our 3 new varieties; Artic, Archimedes or Aquila! Plus, entrants get a free instant win scratchcard to be in with a chance to win on-the-spot prizes!*

See you there!

*Terms and Conditions apply

While varietal traits such as vigour, yield and disease resistance are rightly high on the agenda when assessing and choosing OSR varieties, oil content is often overlooked. However oil bonuses are becoming increasingly important in the profitability of winter OSR and should be one of the starting points when choosing a new variety, he says.

“At 1.5% of the “double low” contract price for every 1% over 40% oil, oil bonuses on £270/tonne base price can still bring in an extra £96.7/ha at 4t/ha for a crop over the 46% level.”

“Oil content is a stable trait in a variety so is a fairly guaranteed return and the overall premium only increases with yield, so its money in the bank.

“There are few if any ways to boost the oil content of a variety agronomically. On the other hand late-flowering applications of foliar nitrogen can reduce oil content but this is generally off-set by higher seed yields.“

The 14 most popular ‘double low’ varieties, which account for about 70% of national planting, vary quite widely in their oil contents and therefore potential oil bonus, Mr Leaper notes.

“Looking at the AHDB oil bonus official trials data, Charger which is one of the top ten varieties in terms of seed yield at 107% of the controls, does not do so well on oil bonus for only offering 43.9% oil content and a resulting bonus of £85/ha.

“Campus, although a poorer yielder at 104% of the controls, does a bit better with an oil content of 45.3% bringing in a bonus of £112/ha, which means that there is not actually much difference between the varieties in terms of gross output.”

“The conventional variety Nikita at 108% seed yield has one of the highest oil contents on the recommended list at 45.6% and therefore tops the AHDB official trials for both the east/west and north regions for oil bonus payment, bringing in an extra £129/ha and £118/ha, respectively.

This makes a big difference to the overall gross output of the variety and puts it right at the top in terms of profitability.

“It has been recognised for many years that oil contents are generally lower as you go further north, which is why Nikita  has a slightly lower bonus in the north than in the east/west – but it’s still the top variety on the RL countrywide.”

Trials were carried out in 2015/16 on sites in Lincolnshire with varying land types. Two single varieties and four mixtures were each drilled directly into 0.4ha stubble plots using a Sky Easy drill or a Dale drills Eco drill. Samples were taken at regular intervals and measured for biomass and nutrient retention.

“Oilseed Radish and mustard were compared with four Limagrain catch and cover crop mixtures all with specific attributes,” says Limagrain’s seed specialist John Spence.
These included Lift ‘N’ Fix – a rye and vetch mixture, Sprinter – a black oats and vetch mixture, Soil Improver with oats, oilseed radish, phacelia and mustard and Green Reward with rye, oat, oilseed radish, tillage radish, mustard, vetch and phacelia. 

“The results showed that all the trial plots yielded between 2 and 2.5 tonnes of dry matter per hectare in a 12 week growing period, with Green Reward and Soil Improver producing more than 17t/ha of green organic material.”

Based on N, P and K found in the green material after eight and 12 weeks, Limagrain has calculated a nutrient value for each mixture and showed that each can uplift significant quantities that would potentially have been lost if the land was left fallow. Lift ‘N’ Fix was the most successful – designed specifically to capture nitrogen – with more than 100kg of N being captured by the mixture, which, with the value of P and K based on current fertiliser prices (ammonium nitrate £210/t, triple superphosphate £275/t, muriate of potash £240/t) is worth £126.85 a hectare.

“If we include the value of the nitrogen fixed by the vetch and £15 worth of sheep grazing we have a crop value for Lift ‘N’ Fix of £152/ha,” adds Mr Spence. “This outweighs the growing cost of Lift ‘N’ Fix of £138/ha.”
Based on the trial results, Limagrain calculated the value for Soil Improver to be £156/hectare. “This mixture includes species with a variety of different rooting depths which help to relieve compaction through the soil profile,” says Mr Spence. “It is the mixture we recommend when soil compaction is the main priority.”

Sprinter, a fast growing mixture that supresses weeds and is ideal where blackgrass control is a priority, had an estimated value of £148/ha. All three mixtures satisfy EFA criteria. Green Reward, the final mixture in the trials is a premium multi species mixture which covers all bases as a cover crop giving high biomass, soil conditioning and compaction alleviation as well as blackgrass control.

 “The cost of growing a single species cover crop may be covered by short term benefits like weed suppression and nutrient capture, but, for the same growing costs, farmers can reap additional benefits by using specially designed mixtures that fulfil specific roles.

“A poorly designed or poorly established cover crop will bring few benefits above leaving the land fallow and may cause more problems than it solves. And simply selecting the cheapest crop that is EFA compliant could be a missed opportunity whereas mixtures designed to meet specific requirements will bring additional short term benefits and the longer term use of these well designed cover crops will also lead to improvements in soil health and organic matter.”

Limagrain has detailed its mixtures along with growing advice and EFA regulations in its latest Soil Improvement publication available below or by emailing Hannah Smith on Hannah.smith@limagrain.co.uk

The venue of the Aegon Classic, won in 2015 by Australian Open Champion Angela Kerber, Edgbaston Priory’s stunning grounds include eight grass courts, seven artificial grass courts, four American clay courts and three macadam courts. The primary focus of the day will be on the management of the club’s grass courts where Grounds Manager David Lawrence and the team implement what he describes as sustainable and affordable nutrition, maintenance and renovation on the courts. There will also be some focus on hard court surface marking, moss and algae control and overall site conservation including species and habitat management.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

Attendees will learn from the grounds team and industry experts how to get the best from an array of products and equipment for surface performance and presentation.

The ‘Turf Tactics at Edgbaston Priory in association with Pitchcare’ is open to all grounds managers of clay based sports surfaces and places are free but limited. Lunch, snacks and refreshments are provided to all attendees. Please Note: Turf Tactics is Not open for trade attendees.

Turf Tactics DAY Starts at 9.45am AND Includes:

• Site Tour of the Edgbaston Priory Club – Led by Edgbaston Priory staff

Featuring: What’s in the Shed and What surfaces do we have?

• Managing Artificial and Tarmac Tennis Surfaces – Led by Sports and Courts

Featuring: A Look at the overall management of artificial surfaces, including line marking, moss and algae management.

• Benefits of Primo Maxx – Led by ICL and Edgbaston Priory staff

Featuring: A look at how a good Primo Maxx programme, integrated in to a good fertiliser programme, can actually produce a cost saving due to the benefits of the product, such as disease resistance, wear tolerance, better rooting, drought resistance and a denser sward.

• Aeration Techniques – Led by Campey Turf Care and Edgbaston Priory staff

Featuring: Demonstrations of the Campey Air injector (AIR2G2) and a traditional solid tine aerator. Discussing how the machines vary and how both can be incorporated into maintenance regimes and the benefits

• Seed Selection and Conservation Management – Led by Limagrain and ALS

Featuring: Seed Selection – Looking at the right seed for clay based soils – depending on desired characteristics. Site Conservation and Ecology – Wildflower seed management, plant species and habitat management.

• End of season scarification and renovation – Led by Dennis-Sisis and Edgbaston Priory staff

Featuring: Demonstrations of the Pedestrian Power Brush and Dennis FT range – priority scarifier cassette and multi-dense brush.

To Register and download a detailed programme of the day’s events visit www.pitchcare.com/turftactics2016

Pitchcare is a trading divisions of Maxwell Amenity. For more information visit pitchcare.com.

For more information about Edgbaston Priory Club visit  http://www.edgbastonpriory.com/

After a difficult start to the current season he says maize crops in many parts of the country are looking good.

“Drilling was delayed by the cold spring with crops being planted anywhere between two and four weeks later than anticipated. However, seed beds were generally warm and since then the mild, wet weather has been ideal for vegetative growth. Most crops are now well established and ready to pull away when we get warm, sunny weather.

“The key time for sunshine and heat units is at and around flowering, so provided we have a decent July and August there is no reason why crops will not perform well despite the shorter growing season. The issue will be whether we get sufficient heat units for crops to mature and this is particularly true for the late maturing varieties which may struggle.”

Mr Richmond says early maturing varieties require fewer heat units to reach maturity which gives them a particular advantage in short seasons, allowing them to be harvested at the optimum time. He says waiting for late maturing varieties can present problems at harvest.

“Delaying harvest to allow a variety to mature increases the risk of harvesting in less favourable conditions. This could have implications for resulting silage quality and also for management of stubbles.  

“With increased environmental pressure it will be essential to take steps to prevent soil run off. A delayed harvest would increase the soil compaction risks from harvesting equipment travelling on wet soils or make it more challenging to establish a successor wheat crop. If following maize with a spring crop the land should be chisel ploughed, which may not be ideal in wet conditions following a late harvest.”

He says there is a significant difference in days to harvest between early and late maturing varieties, commenting that on the BSPB/NIAB Descriptive List, early varieties are typically ready to harvest at least 15 days earlier. He suggests this can be the difference between a successful harvest and a struggle to get the crop in.

“These 15 days can make a huge difference to the quality and feed value of resulting silage provided. As costs of production are largely fixed, crop success has to be measured on the basis of how effectively it is harvested and the quality of feed produced. A problematic harvest is likely to increase cost per tonne of dry matter silage produced, as well as diluting its feed value.”
Mr Richmond argues that feed quality is another area where early maturing varieties have a significant advantage, suggesting they are better suited to the current requirements of dairy farmers.

“If farmers want to reduce costs of production, they need to produce quality forages. In terms of maize, this means higher energy derived from starch content and high cell wall digestibility in every kilo of silage that will eventually be fed to the cows. Early maturing varieties tend to be slightly lower yielding than the later maturing ones, but have better quality resulting in a higher quality feed better suited to producing milk at a lower cost per litre.

“Cost effective diets require consistent quality forage, rather than potentially higher yields of a lower quality feed. By increasing the prospects of harvesting at the optimum time even in short seasons, combined with generally high feed values, the use of early maturing varieties should be the foundation of dairy systems based on maize silage.

Results from a recent trial carried out by seed breeder Limagrain UK has shown that sheep have a preference for certain varieties of stubble turnip.

Carried out at Bishop Burton College, East Yorkshire, a group of 80 lambs for finishing, of mixed breeds and all from the college flock, were grazed on a field with popular varieties of stubble turnips typically used as a fodder crop for grazing sheep and cattle.

“We compared two commercially available stubble turnip varieties; Samson and Vollenda, as well as Hector; a new variety which will be available commercially in 2017,” says Robert David, forage crops technician at Limagrain.

A 1.33ha field was drilled with the stubble turnips in mid-August 2015. The sheep moved from grass leys on to the field at the end of November. After a week on an area with a mix of varieties the fence was moved on to a section of the fresh crop where each variety was in a defined strip.

A yield assessment was made of each variety ahead of grazing, then each strip was monitored and the number of lambs grazing recorded four times an hour during each day, for a three-week period.

As the back fence was moved down the field each week, exposing a fresh crop, a measure of the residual yield was made. The amount eaten of each variety was compared.

“The grazing data showed us that the lambs had a preference for the new variety Hector, followed by Samson,” adds Mr David. “Our yield assessments showed that dry matter intake of Hector was 5% higher than for Samson, which was confirmed by the grazing trial results.”

Hector has been bred for sheep production. It is a tetraploid variety with a higher proportion of the root growing above the ground, making it easier to graze, which may contribute to it being favoured.

Samson is also a tetraploid variety that produces big tankard shaped purple bulbs and it is very palatable to sheep. Limagrain’s 2016 trial data shows that it produces a root dry matter yield 22% higher than the control variety.”

“Stubble turnips are a very beneficial crop for sheep producers,” says Mr David. “They are best sown in July and August and are fast growing, producing 4 to 5 tonnes/ha in 12 weeks,” adds Mr David. “This trial work shows the benefit of selecting  varieties that sheep graze in preference to others, and that, as a result,  can help achieve higher intakes and improved live weight gains.”

Limagrain have produced a Stubble Turnips Growers Guide to help growers make the most of their crop. For a copy, download below or email enquiries@limagrain.co.uk

Mr Bennett believes that growers are in the fortunate position of being able to choose from a range of varieties that can really make a difference to the profitability of the crop. “We have the genetics in place to deal with some of the bigger challenges the crop faces around establishment, ever increasing disease challenges in an environment of rising costs, and volatile market prices.”

“High gross output and robust agronomics are a must if we are to minimise cropping risks and costs associated with growing OSR today.”

“In choosing varieties with high disease resistance ratings, good agronomics, vigorous establishment and rapid early crop development, it is possible to minimise these threats and reduce the overall costs of growing the crop,” he says.

Mr Bennett believes one of the most exciting prospects of all the WOSR candidate varieties on the AHDB Recommended List for 2016/17 is Limagrain’s hybrid, Aquila.

“Aquila is the most credible variety coming forward, with a very full toolbox of these important and valuable characteristics that can only add value to the OSR grower’s bottom-line. The variety has been selected as being a credible partner to sit alongside varieties like Alizze and DK Extrovert.”

Aquila is a candidate variety for the east/west, offering the highest gross output of 106.2% over control in official trials. “That’s 5.5%, 3.4% and 2.6% greater than DK Exalte, DK Exclaim and Dariot respectively. The variety’s high oil output is worth highlighting at 45.5% – again higher than the other three varieties.”

These 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 2016.”

Agronomic Performance Data

January 2016. Data from the AHDB Recommended Lists database 2016/17, E/W region. On the 1-9 scales, high figures indicate that a variety shows the character to a high degree.

Disease Resistance