Spring malting barley variety Concerto is enjoying a growing reputation at home and on the continent with many merchants actively seeking growers in order to meet demand.Demand for Concerto is based on its unique credentials. It is the only spring malting barley in Europe to have received the approval of the UK’s Institute for Brewing & Distilling (IBD) for both brewing and distilling and approval from CMBO, the maltsters association of France – recognised as the European standard for malting barley – giving it more marketing opportunities than any other variety.In addition to proving itself with maltsers it has performed well on farms. While yields in 2011 reflected the difficulties caused by the early summer drought, Concerto demonstrated excellent performance in the east of England where it performed in line with Propino and Quench and was the highest yielding variety in Scottish trials.The growing dominance of the brewing and distilling markets represents the ever increasing global demand for beer. The top four brewers now account for over 50% of the world market, whereas in 2000 this figure was nearer 20%.  This underlines the importance of choosing a variety approved for multiple markets.Grower Hugo James of the Townhill Farming Partnership, near Dorchester, West Dorset trialled Concerto in 2011 on the advice of his Masstock agronomist and was impressed with its performance. To give it a fair test he grew 72ha of Concerto alongside 56ha of Propino. â€œI was highly impressed with Concerto. We grow continuous spring barley and while both crops produced an excellent sample, Concerto out yielded Propino by roughly 1.97t/ha boosting enterprise output by about £395/ha.”This was the first year he injected pig slurry ahead of drilling and was pleased with how the crop performed. “We’re keen incorporate as much organic fertility as possible and last year we injected 30 cubic metres per ha of pig slurry. I’m confident it proved beneficial during to crop growth during the early summer drought and it also saved us £100/ha in nitrogen fertiliser costs.”Gordon Gowlett of grain merchant Gowlett Grain has found Concerto to be one of the most consistent varieties, particularly in the eastern counties, to be added to the Recommended List in recent years with brewers and distillers in the UK and Europe identifying it early as a versatile variety.“We were approached several years ago by a foreign buyer wanting to discuss malting barley options after samples it was receiving at the time fell short of expectations. â€œWe quickly identified Concerto as a variety capable of satisfying the necessary standard while also likely to be around for many years to come, a fact that would give the user greater confidence to go with it.”Gowlett Grain has been exporting Concerto since and following its approval in France by the CMBO, the buyer has decided to take the arrangement further. â€œWe need a variety with sound credentials and that we are confident will be around for a few years to come; Concerto meets those criteria.  There is strong market demand for Concerto and as a variety it has the robust characteristics needed to perform across a variety of challenging environments.”

Seed treatment speeds up football pitch establishment With only 5 weeks and a day from the end of one football season to the first match of the next at Colchester United Football Club’s Weston Homes Community Stadium last summer, Head Groundsman David Blacknall was delighted with the performance of Limagrain’s MM60 ryegrass mixture. Speed of establishment was obviously a critical factor and it was the Headstart treatment on the seed which helped to deliver the fast turnaround achieved. David Blacknall explains: “I figured that the Emirates stadium pitch is probably the best in the country, and I knew they used MM60. So I thought if it was good enough for them, then it was likely to be OK for us! Last summer, I decided to give it a try myself. â€œWe Koro-ed the pitch and then reseeded on 26 June [2011]. It was ready for play at the start of August when we held a pre-season friendly game. The grass had established evenly and we had produced a very good playing surface in a shorter time than normal.”   Limagrain’s Craig Spooner takes up the story: “When there’s a short time-frame to get a pitch back into play the Headstart seed treatment makes a big difference. In fact, seedling emergence can be an average of four days earlier, compared to untreated grass seed.”Headstart contains a seaweed extract which promotes cell division. This results in faster emergence and a distinct increase in the number of germinated plants –  which is very important in the initial growth phase of pitches.David continued: “The quality of any football pitch is not solely determined by the seed, but by a combination of many inputs and good management. Nevertheless I have been pleased with the overall results and this past football season we’ve had the best grass coverage since the Club moved to the stadium four years ago.” The quality of the pitch at Colchester United FC has been fully tested by several recent high profile matches including the England U21's 2013 Euro Qualifier game against Iceland last November, and in April this year, the National FA County Youth Cup final between Essex FA and West Riding FA. This year a pitch reseed is planned for 6 June, and once again the advantage of a faster establishment with Headstart will help ensure the pitch is ready for the first match – six weeks later.More information on MM60 and the other Headstart treated mixtures in the range can be found in the current MM catalogue.May 2012

With only 5 weeks and a day from the end of one football season to the first match of the next at Colchester United Football Club’s Weston Homes Community Stadium last summer, Head Groundsman David Blacknall was delighted with the performance of Limagrain’s MM60 ryegrass mixture. Speed of establishment was obviously a critical factor and it was the Headstart treatment on the seed which helped to deliver the fast turnaround achieved. David Blacknall explains: “I figured that the Emirates stadium pitch is probably the best in the country, and I knew they used MM60. So I thought if it was good enough for them, then it was likely to be OK for us! Last summer, I decided to give it a try myself. We Koro-ed the pitch and then reseeded on 26 June [2011]. It was ready for play at the start of August when we held a pre-season friendly game. The grass had established evenly and we had produced a very good playing surface in a shorter time than normal.”   Limagrain’s Craig Spooner takes up the story: “When there’s a short time-frame to get a pitch back into play the Headstart seed treatment makes a big difference. In fact, seedling emergence can be an average of four days earlier, compared to untreated grass seed.”Headstart contains a seaweed extract which promotes cell division. This results in faster emergence and a distinct increase in the number of germinated plants –  which is very important in the initial growth phase of pitches.David continued: “The quality of any football pitch is not solely determined by the seed, but by a combination of many inputs and good management. Nevertheless I have been pleased with the overall results and this past football season we’ve had the best grass coverage since the Club moved to the stadium four years ago.”The quality of the pitch at Colchester United FC has been fully tested by several recent high profile matches including the England U21's 2013 Euro Qualifier game against Iceland last November, and in April this year, the National FA County Youth Cup final between Essex FA and West Riding FA. This year a pitch reseed is planned for 6 June, and once again the advantage of a faster establishment with Headstart will help ensure the pitch is ready for the first match – six weeks later.More information on MM60 and the other Headstart treated mixtures in the range can be found in the current MM catalogue.

For plant breeders Limagrain, developing varieties with robust disease resistance has always been a key focus of the company’s breeding programme. This pathology focus was much increased in the late 1960’s following the dramatic breakdown of the yellow rust resistance of Rothwell Perdix, and continues in breeding programmes today aimed at producing both high yielding and high quality varieties. Paul Fenwick, in house pathologist with Limagrain says, “It’s all about providing a safer product for growers; one that has the genetics to cope with a range of conditions and seasons, and still perform season after season. By looking at all the factors that affect yield and quality, it is clear that developing varieties with resilient disease resistance characteristics is critical and integral to this.”One of a rare breed – there are only two or three breeding companies based in the UK with their own pathologists – Mr Fenwick works closely with the Limagrain cereals breeding teams: “I get varieties to test from the wheat and barley breeding teams when they reach the yield trials stage. These are then grown out in specific disease nurseries where they are exposed to a range of diseases and the disease levels are assessed. These data are then utilised by the breeding teams when deciding which varieties are viable to take forward for commercialisation.”“At Limagrain we focus on the best possible levels of disease resistance and we have to stay one step ahead of disease all the time, so I will screen against all the latest disease races. It’s never as easy as it sounds, as there can be more than one type of resistance, and in the field it’s not possible to say if the visible resistance is down to one or multiple genes. So what we try to do is characterise the resistance within the genetic make-up of the plant where possible using molecular marker technology. ““The development of new molecular markers is key to us having a better understanding of the genetics behind resistance and, therefore, the commercialisation of varieties which are likely to be less at risk from race changes. “ â€œAs breeders we aim to use a use a number of different sources of resistance within our breeding programmes as an insurance against major race changes,” he says. The ‘pyramiding’ of resistance factors within single varieties using marker assisted selection makes it more difficult for the pathogen to adapt and gain the required virulence factors for resistance breakdown. “Mr Fenwick feels strongly that the efforts to produce varieties with new, diverse, potent and potentially durable resistance factors should be recognised  and reflected by the appropriate bodies when varieties come up for recommendation.He also adds that, as breeders, it is important to consider requirements for the future. “After all, it takes at least 8-10 years to bring a variety to market, so we need to be planning now for future goalposts. For example, in the near future, we are likely to face a reduction in the use of some pesticides – this in itself reflects the crucial need to develop varieties with robust disease resistance attributes that are high quality and high yielding. Food security is an increasingly important global issue, and breeding resistant varieties will be an integral part of achieving this.”The changing face of disease It is critical that the industry as a whole works together to monitor disease and threats to varietal disease ratings. Rosemary Bayles, pathologist with NIAB TAG and who heads up the UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey, has seen the emergence of particularly virulent races of rust over the past few years. â€œThe breakdown of Warrior to a new yellow rust race last year was a particularly interesting case, as we saw what looks like the same race being reported for the first time right across NW Europe. This is was highly unusual as more normally in the past we have seen races develop in one region and spread to others over a period of a few years. We are working with pathologists from across Europe to try and establish the significance of this.”“In fact there is increasing global interest in understanding and finding ways to understand the rapid appearance of new rust races– to the point that vast amounts of money are being invested in research into these diseases. “The University of Aarhus in Denmark houses the Global Reference Centre for Rust, headed up by Professor Mogens Hovmoller. “The impact of yellow rust across the globe is becoming increasingly significant, particularly in relation to a new aggressive strain in North America that has adapted to warmer temperatures. The significance of this disease threat to cereal production is reflected in the fact that we have just received substantial funding for a five year project – Rustfight  – which will allow us to develop a stronger link between fundamental and applied rust disease research.”“We have established a range of projects looking at developing early warning systems for yellow and stem rust epidemics, providing training to deal with these and also assist with resistance breeding. We also monitor and survey developing rust epidemics across Europe and work closely with bodies such as the UK CPVS. “

Professor Simon Edwards of Harper Adams University College who helped develop the HGCA Fusarium mycotoxin risk assessment tool is warning the industry to be extra vigilant this year in light of the recent high rainfall.“The highest levels of rainfall at flowering since we began Fusarium mycotoxin monitoring in 2001, means that the threat from Fusarium mycotoxins this year is very high. Although the final measure of Fusarium risk cannot be fully determined until after harvest – as pre – harvest rainfall is also critical – we know that rainfall during flowering significantly increases the risk and on top of this any extra rainfall particularly after ripening will allow for secondary infections to develop. However on the plus side, should we have a dry ripening phase this will prevent risk levels rising even higher.”“At this time of year when growers are making next year’s wheat variety choices, it is important to highlight the value of choosing varieties with a good rating for Fusarium. Although as a characteristic on its own in the whole risk equation, variety does not have a huge impact, it is important to understand that when all the agronomic characteristics such as rotation, cultivation and fungicide and varietal choice are combined, that a large beneficial reduction in Fusarium head blight and subsequent mycotoxins can be obtained.“However, where crops are being grown for human consumption, variety choice becomes more critical in terms of its rating for Fusarium,” adds Lee Robinson of Limagrain. “For example, the Group 2 variety Panorama has a 7 for Fusarium – the highest rating for any Group 1 or 2 on the current Recommended List. Infact with its rating of 9 for yellow rust and 6 for Septoria tritici, this variety has stood up well so far this season to the ravages of the weather and resulting high disease pressure. It will be interesting to see how valuable these ratings prove to be over the next couple of weeks in managing not only disease risk, but helping to maintain quality.”Professor Edwards reminds growers that even with all the correct measures in place, “risk can only be reduced, it can never be entirely eliminated and that with current high disease pressure, even some low risk fields will exceed limits so it is critical that the whole cereal industry must be extra vigilant this year. “For more information on risk assessment of Fusarium mycotoxins click here

Limagrain has produced new, up-to-date technical guides entitled Growing for the market for their top wheat and barley varieties. Available to download or order from the website www.limagrain.co.uk (or by clicking the PDF links above), these guides are intended to provide growers with the information that they need to make the correct variety choices for the coming season, based on sound agronomical and marketing information.

Derived from the popular Limagrain individual variety booklets, these new wheat and barley guides are intended to give an in-depth and detailed insight on all aspects of the agronomic and marketing characteristics of the leading Limagrain varieties in each group. There is also a comparison table of these varieties which includes the HGCA regional yield data, as well as the varietal suitability for a particular rotational slot. Additional information from Limagrain UK’s own breeder and farmer trials is also included giving readers detail over and above that provided in the Recommended List.

 â€œIt is critical for growers to have access to all of the available information possible to see which varieties perform best in certain situations and viable marketing options for that variety, and as breeders we are best placed to offer this information using data collected from a range of our own farmer and independent trials, as well as using the HGCA RL trial data. These newly designed guides intend to make this process as simple and straightforward as possible, “says Lee Robinson, marketing director for Limagrain.

“However, it is important to understand that the Growing for Market guides will not replace the highly valued and informative husbandry guides that we produce for our market leading varieties – but that they offer an additional source of information for growers.”

In addition, for those looking for up-to-the- minute market information and comment on all things ‘wheat’, Invicta winter wheat has its own facebook page. This page is intended to help growers track and record their harvest results this summer and to communicate with other growers. If you have a facebook account, search for Invicta winter wheat or go straight to http://www.facebook.com/invictawinterwheat

Matros, the winter feed barley from Limagrain, is to be reconsidered as a candidate for the 2012 Recommended List.

“Whilst Matros did not receive recommendation last year, on the basis of additional data from trials that were sown this year, we have agreed to reconsider the variety for recommendation,” says chairman of the Recommended List Board, Professor Graham Jellis.

Lee Robinson of breeders Limagrain believes that the variety has a place on the Recommended List (RL), and will be a valuable addition to the recommended feed barley choices for next season: “Matros is a proven high yielder with a UK treated yield figure of 108, nearly matching Retriever and out performing KWS Cassia in virtually every region across official trials. It also offers a range of characteristics that will make it a valuable alternative to hybrid barley in the north,” he says.

“Matros provides excellent all -round disease resistance as you would expect from a Limagrain variety, crucially offering a 7 for mildew, brown rust and Rhynchosporium, as well as a 5 for yellow rust. The (4) for net blotch is based on limited data and this will be further evaluated this season. “

“In terms of quality, a comparison with Retriever is difficult as we do not have any sieving data on the RL, however based on figures from 2010-2011, Matros is much better for screenings than Retriever.”

“Where  Matros stands out, is its potential extra straw yield, standing tall at 91cm. It is also stiff strawed and with a rating of 8 for lodging – a figure that not many other varieties on the list hold – it provides the ideal barley feed characteristics. “

Limagrain UK is pleased to announce that detailed grower’s husbandry guidelines for it’s Group 1 milling wheat variety, Crusoe and Group 4 soft wheat, Horatio, are now available.Written by Limagrain’s wheat breeders and featuring information from HGCA, third party and Limagrain UK’s own trials work, these husbandry guides provide in-depth information for growers and agronomists on how best to manage their crop and how to realise the genetic potential of these new and exciting varieties. â€œThe guides cover each variety in depth, providing an overview of its characteristics and position in the market, together with individual chapters focusing on pedigree and selection mechanism, yield potential, resistance to diseases and pests and agronomic characters. Sowing date, seed rates, seed treatments, PGR use and herbicide tolerance, crop nutrition,” explains Ron Granger, senior wheat breeder at Limagrain.To order a copy go online at www.limagrain.co.uk and look under each variety. Or you can contact Laura Davey directly on 01472 370151 or email laura.davey@limagrain.co.uk

The poor establishment and condition of oilseed crops drilled this autumn has left many growers considering what their best options will be to rectify the situation, come the spring.

Patrick Stephenson, AICC agronomist in north Yorkshire, suggests that where oilseed rape crops have been decimated by slugs, are waterlogged and poorly established, or have not even been drilled as in many northern regions, gives  growers two options come the spring.

“Where fields have not been drilled there is the choice of either leaving it fallow or considering a spring rape crop basically. Where plant populations are low, it’s a case of sitting tight and looking at how they come through the winter; rape crops often have a funny habit of still producing good yields when least expected. There is also the option of re-drilling bad patches or blocks with a spring crop.”

“It’s always hard to leave a field fallow as then it’s not making any money, the flip side of this is  putting in a spring rape crop, but then you run the risk of unpredictable conditions. However, there are decent enough margins to be made from spring rape if you can get the yields up around the 2.25-2.5t/ha mark.”

 â€œBear in mind that seed beds will still be cold coming into the spring so don’t be tempted to go too soon. It is really important to get the variety right and by this I mean that with unpredictable spring conditions it will need to be one that establishes quickly and gets away. It should also have a relatively short growing period and good standing power so it doesn’t fall over – some of the more popular vigorous hybrids are well suited to this slot.”

Importance of good agronomics David Waite, of Frontier, agrees and has found consistent and good yielding performance from the spring rape Delight. “Delight with its hybrid vigour, is always going to be more reliable when sowing into difficult spring conditions, than a conventional variety. We have found the variety to offer a good combination of yield and also early maturity (6) – important for growers in the north. In fact, we often see commercial crops appear earlier than the official scores would suggest. Delight has performed well with growers over the last couple of seasons and fits in well, particularly with those in the north where the pressure to get crops off in good time is high.”

Agents for Delight in the UK, Limagrain, advise that the excellent early vigour of the variety provides some flexibility in sowing date, but recommend that it should be drilled in the first three weeks of April into a fine, firm seedbed.

Lower input costs “An advantage of putting in a spring oilseed rape crop that should not be overlooked is that generally it is a lower input crop,” says Michael Fletcher of Limagrain. “A vigorous hybrid like Delight will be able to compete with weeds and pests, whereas slower growing crops can be more difficult to manage.”

“Where weed pressure is high however, we suggest metazachlor-based herbicide programmes are used, with clomazone added where cleavers are an issue. Disease is generally not a problem either, but where spring crops are being grown next to winter rape there can be cross infection, and where conditions are favourable Sclerotinia or Alternaria will need to be controlled with a fungicide application during flowering.”

“Two insect pests – flea and pollen beetle- frequently cause damage to spring oilseed rape. Insecticide seed treatments will delay flea beetle attack but a follow up spray may be necessary. Pollen beetle will need to be monitored at the green to yellow bud stage and an approved insecticide applied once the threshold is reached. The thresholds have recently been reviewed and a new approach proposed which takes into account plant populations rather than just relying on the number of beetles/plant for all crops.”

Mr Fletcher adds: “It’s also worth noting that spring rape typically requires about half the amount of nitrogen of winter crops, and less P and K. Spring rape responds well to sulphur, but can be prone to boron deficiency on lighter soils so soil or tissue analysis is always important.”

Recovery mixture is hailed a success

An amenity mixture, which was developed specifically for oversowing onto sports pitches to facilitate the fast repair of worn or damaged areas, has proved to be a great success. The mixture, called MM 75R, can be sown in the winter or spring and according to Limagrain’s Matt Gresty the choice of one variety in particular has set the blend apart from others available within the industry.

“Our MM 75R mixture contains a variety called Matrix which germinates and grows at lower temperatures than other grasses. Consequently, it provides groundsmen with an opportunity to restore ground cover on pitches and racecourses during the early part of the year.”

Mr Gresty points out that since its launch in 2012 a combination of further trial work and commercial experience has continued to demonstrate the unique qualities of the mixture. “Those groundsmen that trialled MM75R last year were very impressed by its performance and the consequent improvement it gave the pitches during the second half of the playing season.”

It is worth stressing that MM 75R is treated with Headstart the user-friendly seed treatment which enhances the speed of germination and helps to deliver fast establishment and all important ground cover.

The photograph shows the larger roots and better shoot development of the grasses in the MM 75R mixture (on the left) compared to the more traditional grasses in a competing ‘recovery’ mixture.

If you would like more information on MM 75R then please contact us and reserve a copy of our 2013 MM catalogue which will be available from mid-January. This catalogue will also provide full details on the other top quality mixtures in the MM range.

Jan 2013

Of course our weather can affect the plans we have in relation to sowing and harvesting these trials and, consequently, it has not been an easy task this year. Richard Camplin, our Technical & Product Development Manager, takes up the story.

“The trial was sown on 9^th August last year – this was a little later than usual due to the wet conditions which prevailed at the time. However, the trial emerged well and went on to give a good establishment.”

He explained that the trial included 15 new rape lines (including three new NL1 entries) along with several commercial varieties from other breeders. Growth throughout the season was very good with surprisingly little disease.

“The harvest was planned for November last year – but once again the weather proved to be a stumbling block,” says Richard.

In fact the harvesting operation was delayed due to the wet conditions in that month and also in December. Then, in January, the snow arrived which again put a stop to any fieldwork. The trial was finally harvested on 7th February.

“Once harvested, we found that the yields had been pretty good – but with a higher than usual DM% due to the later harvest. Interval performed well as did several of the new lines,” explained Richard.

The trial programme at the Lincolnshire site (near Boothby Graffoe) also included stubble turnips which were harvested the following week by hand.

We produce a Pocket Guide to our forage trial results which provides very detailed information on a number of crops including forage rape, stubble turnips, kale and fodder beet. If you would like a copy then please contact us by e-mail (info@limagrain.co.uk ) or telephone  us on 01472 371471.

If you are involved in the production of organic meat or milk then there is a new technical leaflet which you need to keep on file to help ensure that you are making the most of home-grown feed.

‘Organic Grassland 2013’ lists all 5 of the mixtures in our organic range as well as outlining the strengths of several individual grass and clover varieties which are available.

Close inspection of the range reveals that the formulation of these mixtures has been undertaken with great care and attention. The choice of species and varieties obviously reflects the way the individual mixtures will be used on farm. So, for example, our ‘Fertility Builder’ contains a blend of red clovers (Red Admiral) along with Italian and hybrid ryegrasses. This makes it ideal if you are looking for a protein rich cutting mixture which will deliver excellent yields and as a bonus it will contribute to the build-up of fertility in your fields.

Our ‘Grazing’ mixture contains both intermediate and late perennial ryegrasses and our choice of varieties means that it will generate a high quality and very palatable level of herbage production. It is also worth noting that this mixture has a very significant addition – a blend of white clover varieties. White clover is a vital constituent in most organic ley mixtures because it offers a number of key benefits – these include an ability to ‘fix’ nitrogen from the atmosphere along with a range of nutritional advantages.

A good quality ley mixture is one of the best investments you can make if you are planning to reduce your reliance of purchased feeds. It is worth stressing that we were one of the very first seed companies to introduce grass mixtures designed for the organic market and, and as a result our organic range has a performance proven track record on farms throughout the country.

You can view this new leaflet by clicking on the picture caption on this page, alternatively you can go to the â€œorganic seeds”  tab on the left – this will take you to a new section where the leaflet can be downloaded as a pdf file and saved for future reference.

February 2013