At Croptec this year Limagrain will be running a spring cropping clinic to focus on these very issues; breeders and technical experts will be on hand throughout the two days to discuss the pros and cons of different cropping options for your farm and how to best manage these crops.

“As breeders we are always aiming to introduce new varieties each year that offer benefits to growers; increased yield, stronger agronomic characteristics and better disease resistance – and we have a wide range of spring crops to offer growers that suit a wide range of situations.”

“We also have to meet the needs of the end users when developing these new varieties to ensure that they have secure marketing options through improved quality, productivity, processability and added value,” says Lee Robinson, managing director of Limagrain.

“For example, Limagrain has a range of varieties that meet the requirement of the new CAP cropping proposals such as forage mixtures and maize for bio-digesters, as well as the more traditional spring crops such as spring barley and spring wheat that can be drilled late autumn if required.

“Where growers have left fields fallow or are using spring cropping as part of their black-grass control strategy, we are able to offer advice on varieties that will fit the later drilled autumn or spring sowing slot – be these cereals, pulses or maize, offer the best advice on these and how to manage them,” adds Ron Granger, arable technical manager with Limagrain.

With increasing interest in field margins the Limagrain forage team will also be available at the clinic to talk through any questions on choosing and growing varieties for these areas.

Bruce brings with him over 20 years of industry experience, predominantly in professional football where he has previously been head groundsman at Fulham, Reading, Millwall and Crawley Town as well as deputy head groundsman at Tottenham Hotspur.

“I left my career in groundsmanship as I had been in the industry a long time, and felt that my dedication to the role, something every groundsman and greenkeeper possesses, was beginning to wane, but I wanted to stay within the industry and pass on the benefit of the knowledge and experience gained over a number of years,” he said.

Bruce’s main responsibility in his new role will be to provide support and information to key customers and distributors to ensure that all their requirements are met, and he believes that his previous experience will certainly be of benefit.

“Having been in the sportsturf industry for over 20 years I feel that that the knowledge, experience and friendships I have gained over this period will allow me to understand the requirements of the end user.

“I’ve also been a user of Limagrain products throughout my career and I have the utmost confidence in the range as I know the quality, reliability and consistency they provide,” he said.

Amenity manager for Limagrain UK, Matt Gresty also believes that Bruce’s experience will prove to be invaluable addition.

“I am delighted that Bruce is joining our team, he brings a wealth of experience in top level groundsmanship and turf knowledge to our customers and clients,” said Matt.

Limagrain UK, one of world’s largest seed companies, is at the forefront of the industry; something which Bruce is particularly proud to be a part of.

“I am looking forward to working for a market leader in the sportsturf industry, with a highly respected range of products used at top sporting venues around the country,” he said.

Alan Jackson of Rugley Farm, Alnwick, James Stafford of Pickwick Lodge Farm in Corsham, Wiltshire and Antony Ashwell of Old Park Farm in Much Hadham, Herts are the thee lucky winners of a competition run in the national farming press in conjunction with Limagrain last July, who along with their agronomists are heading off on an all-expenses paid trip to Denmark to learn more about the wheat breeding and growing from Danish breeders Sejet.

Alan Jackson who is growing  the high yielding wheat variety Evolution this year for the first time is thrilled to be going to Denmark. “Our climate is too wet and late for milling wheat so we always look to grow a feed wheat that is going to produce a good yield but also offers a high level of disease resistance, and Evolution offers just that. It will be very interesting to learn more about how it was bred and Danish wheat growing in general.”

Marketed in the UK by Limagrain UK Evolution was bred by Danish breeders Sejet. The variety represents a step change for barn filling wheats giving growers high yields as well as offering robust disease resistance ratings to give extra management flexibility. This has been demonstrated by  this year’s  official harvest results where Evolution has one of the highest treated yields of 105%over control with untreated yields at 125%.

“These are easy to follow and well-illustrated, making it a much-needed very ‘hands-on’ publication,” says Limagrain’s grass seed manager Ian Misselbrook.

“We’ve also made sure that the handbook encourages growers to identify their requirements from the crop then directs them to the mixtures or varieties that best suits their needs.”

Advanced technology has been used in evaluating the portfolio.

“We take full advantage of near infrared spectroscopy, that measures the dry matter and virtually the whole spectrum of forage quality and nutritional attributes of the plant, so that we can provide more specific details on each product’s feed value,” adds Mr Misselbrook.

In addition, the Sinclair McGill Grass and Forage Crops Handbook 2015/16 includes LGAN grass seed mixtures. LG Animal Nutrition – denoted as LGAN – is an accreditation given to mixtures that demonstrate exceptional agronomic and nutritional performance and it is already used successfully in Limagrain maize varieties and in grass mixtures across Europe.

“We have validated the LGAN concept and tested our grass seed mixtures at the Schothorst Institute in the Netherlands. Through LGAN we are confident that we are offering UK growers a range of grass seed mixtures with improved potential both in the field and at the feed face.”

Copies of the new Sinclair McGill handbook are available at AgriScot, on the Sinclair McGill stand number 45 in the Highland Hall on November 19, 2014 or directly from the marketing department on 01472 370117. Copies can also be found on the Sinclair McGill web site www.lgseeds.co.uk/sinclairmcgill

Antony Ashwell of Old Park Farm, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire  is the  lucky winner of a competition run by plant  breeders Limagrain UK earlier this summer; Mr Ashwell along with his independent agronomist, Matthew Patterson, are heading off on an all-expenses paid trip to Denmark to learn more about wheat breeding and growing from Danish plant breeders,  Sejet.

Mr Ashwell who owns and manages 240ha of combinable cropping on the Essex Herts border was thrilled to hear that he had won.  â€œIt is wonderful to have this opportunity to go to Denmark with my agronomist and learn more about Danish wheat breeding and farming,” he says.  “Regulations on inputs are much more stringent in Denmark so it will be fascinating to hear more about how farmers manage this and still achieve good yields.”

“We have around 144ha of wheat in our rotation, both for feed and for milling.  During my regular meetings with my agronomist Matthew, we closely review how varieties have performed and what new varieties are worth considering. “

“We need varieties that yield well but also have good rust resistance, particularly yellow rust so it will be interesting to see how Evolution performs locally this season as it offers all of this on paper,” he says.

Marketed in the UK by Limagrain UK, Evolution was bred by Danish breeders Sejet. The variety represents a step change for barn filling wheats giving growers high yields as well as offering robust disease resistance ratings to give extra management flexibility. This has been demonstrated by this year’s  official harvest results where Evolution has one of the highest treated yields of 105%over control with untreated yields at 125%.

 Evolution in summary

• New high-yielding winter wheat from Limagrain
• Nabim Hard Group 4
• High treated yield– 106% of control on HGCA Recommended List (provisional data 2010-14)
• Rated 9 against yellow and 8 against brown rust
• Rated 6 against septoria, mildew, and fusarium ear blight
• Taller straw than many Group 4s at 88cm, but…
• Good resistance to lodging
• Good second wheat performance
• Go to: http://www.limagrain.co.uk/products/details/299.html

At 104% of controls, the variety is 3% higher yielding than KWS Croft also offering  yield potential better or similar to several of the large market share hard feed wheat varieties, such as 2% over long time market favourite, JB Diego.

Britannia has  performed very well in the second wheat situation with a significant yield figure of 105% – making it the best biscuit wheat in this slot -comparable again to the best feed wheat varieties.

Ron Granger technical arable manager for Limagrain UK, breeders of Britannia, notes that the variety – a  Cassius x Robigus cross – offers growers an excellent agronomic package alongside a robust overall disease resistance profile, which supports this high yield.

“Britannia has maintained its top performance  across several very different seasons  whilst in trials, but most importantly in the challenging conditions of 2014 demonstrated by the variety’s high untreated yield figures  and this comes down to its very good resistance for the key yield robbing diseases in the UK today – yellow rust and septoria tritici,” says Mr Granger.

Britannia is similar in height to Invicta and JB Diego with moderately stiff straw and a ripening maturity similar to Scout and KWS Santiago.

Britannia has consistently performed well  across both in-house testing and official testing for biscuit-making performance, offering a better specific weight over many of the biscuit wheats already listed on the HGCA RL (76.7 kg/hl), combined with a high bushel weight and good protein levels 11.4%.

Ian Foot wheat quality manager for Limagrain has seen the variety perform well over three very diverse years of laboratory trials. “Britannia has consistently stood out for its very high dough extensibility, reminiscent of Claire. This is a key requirement for the Group 3 sector and millers have been very pleased with the variety’s robust performance. “

“Britannia offers a clear improvement in yield potential for biscuit varieties and with its high yields and quality across the UK and in different positions and soil types, Britannia is a biscuit wheat that comfortably fits into the Group 3 sector and will suit most growers looking to supply the additional export, bioethanol and feed markets.”

Agronomic characteristics

Octavia the first of these high yielding non-GN varieties, offers yields at 104 % of control over the five year mean, with particularly good performance in the north and east; 3% over Odyssey in the east and the north – and these are clearly important figures as these are the areas where most spring malting barley is grown, points out Mark Glew, senior barley breeder with Limagrain UK.

Agronomically Octavia that is earlier maturing than several of the main distilling varieties (+1). This shorter strawed variety (73cm), also offers very good disease resistance, with a 9 for mildew, 7 for yellow rust and 5 for brown rust, and an impressive 7 for Rhynchosporium.

Mr Glew points out that Octavia is a variety with exceptional hot water extraction – the best on the list which should not be underestimated as this is a very desirable trait for distilling highlighted by the market leader, Concerto.

Octavia has potential for malt distilling and brewing and is already in trials in France having performed well to date.

Olympus is a potential Belgravia replacement, offering a step up in yield (105%); that is 3% over Odyssey, but more significantly 9% above Belgravia. In the north specifically, Olympus out yields Odyssey by 4% and Belgravia by 10%.

“Olympus has a very good disease resistance profile – showing an improvement over Belgravia with a 9 for mildew, 7’s for the rusts and 6 for Rhynchosporium. It is shorter in height (74cm) than Belgravia but with similar straw characteristics and ripening,” says Ron Granger, arable technical manager for Limagrain.

“Quality wise it has a good grain quality and specific weight and low screenings. Olympus has the potential for malt and grain distilling.”

Sienna is an exciting variety offering a 2 % higher yield than Odyssey at 104 %. “Its robust disease resistance profile underlines its high untreated yields and the variety has similar straw attributes (78 cms) as Concerto with the same ripening date (+2),” says Mr Granger.

Quality-wise the variety has excellent specific weight (70.9kg/hl) combined with low screenings. Mr Granger adds that it is important to note that specific weight is becoming an increasingly important characteristic for malting so this is a valuable characteristic for a dual purpose variety, pointing out that Sienna has the best specific weight of all the varieties on the new HGCA RL.

“With its nice, bold sample, low screenings and good hot water extraction characteristics Sienna has potential for distilling and brewing.”

The fourth of the varieties to join the Recommended List, Deveron, has proven itself to be consistently high yielding over seasons and regions with 105%, which is a 3% yield advantage over Odyssey.

“Deveron is a short strawed variety (70cm) with very good lodging resistance and straw attributes combined with a ripening date similar to Concerto. The variety offers a good disease resistance profile with a better rating (5), than Concerto for Rhynchosporium.”

Mr Granger adds that Deveron has the potential for malt distilling, combined with a good specific weight with acceptable screenings.

Will all four varieties have a place in the market? Mark Glew believes that the market will decide which of these varieties will survive.

“When we launched Odyssey, Overture and Chronicle we left it to the market to decide where the varieties would fit and the market very clearly chose Odyssey – we plan to do the same with these new additions that have been added to the HGCA RL – and we look forward to the feedback we will receive in the process.”

Mr Craske visited the Limagrain UK stand at the recent CropTec event in Peterborough and in signing up for technical updates from LG – he was entered into a free prize draw to win a Kindle.

Mr Craske was thrilled to win the prize and is looking forward to receiving all the latest technical information from Limagrain. We wish him many congratulations.

During the Bath & West Dairy Show, Limagrain’s Richard Swait presented Trevor Birchall with a beautifully framed photograph of Trevor and Vanessa Birchall celebrating 20 years of Trevor Birchall Agriculture in business and 20 years as a Sinclair McGill Distributor. TBA also majors on Limagrain maize varieties and he has taken on the new LGAN variety, Emblem”

As a response to the three crop rule or as a strategic defense against blackgrass, the area of spring crops this season will be significantly higher. “For many this will be in the form of spring barley, however identifying and securing a market for your crop before it is drilled is important,”€ says Mike Dagg, raw materials buyer for Simpsons Malt, based in Berwick-upon-Tweed.

“€œTo some degree geographical location will dictate which market you grow for, for those in southern counties export is a key driver, for those in the north it is distilling however for those in the eastern counties there is an option to fulfill either market.”

“€œEach of these markets demands very different requirements and it important that these are fully understood when making variety choices. If growing a crop for the brewing or distilling market, it makes sense to choose a variety with some flexibility in marketing and for this the dual purpose non-GN varieties’ those that supply both the brewing and distilling markets – are the way forward.”

How important are dual purpose varieties?

Very, according to Bob King of Crisp Malting. “€œDual purpose varieties are the obvious way forward for supplying both the brewing and the distilling markets, it’€™s not feasible from a stock handling situation to have multiple varieties where some only meet brewing and others only meet distilling requirements. ”

“Concerto has been the benchmark variety that has been able to offer this, and more recently Odyssey. We are now looking forward to varieties that can still do this, but offer advantages over those of Concerto and Odyssey.”€

However these dual purpose varieties need to suit both the brewing and distilling sectors, and that is a challenge Mr King adds. “€œIt would not be good enough to compromise on either the brewing or distilling characteristics; these both need to be fulfilled by the variety, as well as offering a good agronomy package.”

Varieties suitable for malt distilling should be below 1.65% nitrogen, and non-GN, says Mike Dagg.

Nitrogen levels from 1.7-1.85 will meet brewing requirements it’s always better if a premium can be obtained over that of the feed price so it’€™s worth considering what you are growing for.”

MSP Agriculture€’s Paul Huntley adds that there is enough quality seed available for the key varieties such as Concerto and Odyssey, so growers need to take advantage of this and make the right choices taking into account what market they are growing for and how the variety fits agronomically on farm. “Feedback from the brewers on the 2014 harvest has been extremely positive, samples have been good quality and growers have also benefitted, as yields were high.”

Concerto and Odyssey are the only dual purpose, non-GN varieties to hold full approval for both brewing and malt distilling.

“€œWhilst Concerto already held full approval for brewing and malt distilling, the addition of Odyssey to the IBD list is very good news for spring malting barley growers who have already demonstrated their commitment in the variety since its launch in in 2011 offering a 5% yield increase over the benchmark variety Concerto, and in the east a 2% increase over Propino,”€ says Mark Glew, senior barley breeder for Limagrain UK.

Cementing this pipeline of non GN varieties, last season saw the recommendation of new Limagrain UK varieties Deveron, Sienna, Octavia and Olympus which offer a step up in yield and agronomics, all which will go through the IBD testing programme to ascertain their fit for the distilling and brewing markets.

Will Betts, assistant farm manager and grassland manager at Evershot Farms, was the winner of a Kindle Fire in a recent Limagrain competition.

Evershot Farms, which is managed by Velcourt, is a mixed farm with 3500 acres of cropping, 1000 dairy cows and 3000 sheep.

There is also a 750kW biogas digester. Maize forms a major part of the dairy cow diet, with 80 acres grown for silage and crimped maize bought in.

Congratulations Will!

Breeders Limagrain UK are keen to remind growers that Evolution gets away more quickly in the spring than varieties such as KWS Kielder and KWS Santiago, so it is important to be vigilant with crop walking and responsive to PGR requirements.

Evolution responds well to differing PGR applications with good height reduction and reduced lodging risk, with no yield loss penalties, says Ron Granger, arable technical manager with Limagrain.

“The aim is to shorten the first internode, then keep the second node close to the first, increasing straw stiffness, and as long as you get the PGR on correctly you can then apply nitrogen rates applicable for high yield potential for your own farm situation.”

“We would recommend in most situations that a split PGR treatment should be used, with two-thirds rate of a CCC based product applied at the glume primordia stage or first node moving of the base, followed by a one-third rate application at first node detectable, usually at GS 31.”

“In situations of high yield potential CCC based products can be mixed with additional PGR products with different chemical activity to strengthen stems and synchronise tiller development, for example  Canopy + CCC in a tank mix is a strong option.”

Limagrain has done collaborate work with BASF looking at seed rates, PGR and fungicide interactions with Evolution.  The data shows very positive results from Canopy (prohexadione-calcium and mepiquat chloride) which at an early timing acts to strengthen and balance out tillers, there is also a positive effect on root spread and depth, thereby improving nutrient uptake and plant anchorage as the crops gets going in the spring says Louis Wells, agronomy manager with BASF.

The table below (click for large, high quality image) shows the differing PGR treatments applied over an Evolution crop established at 350 seeds/ m2 with an input of 200Kg / ha of nitrogen and a respectable fungicide programme.

From this particular trial it’s clear that whilst untreated Evolution will still deliver on yield at over 9t/ha, it is a tall plant and lodging percentage is about 60- 70%. However, a medium PGR and fungicide programme boosts yields to over 12t/ha – reducing height by 10.4cm from untreated and lodging percentage from over 11% to below 8%, says Mr Wells.

“Increasing the PGR and maintaining the moderate fungicide inputs, shows yields still up at 12%, but with a further height reduction of 3.47cm bringing plant height down to 81.73cm and reducing lodging risk to less than 10%.”

“In addition, one of the key benefits of Canopy is its ability to work in cooler temperatures and it is not reliant on sunlight. Active from the spray tank, and at temperatures as low as 5°C, Canopy works well in catchy spring conditions to give a solid, consistent response; it’s worth considering this when early applications are being made on earlier drilled crops”.