With the top oilseed rape varieties on the 2021/22 AHDB Recommended List, and some of the highest yielding wheat and barley varieties, there is much interest in Limagrain UK’s breeding programme.

In response to this, last autumn Limagrain invested in a wide range of new demonstration variety trials sites, whilst also maintaining those that were already a well recognised feature of the farming landscape – one of which is located just opposite the Murrayshall Hotel, outside Perth hosted by S. Cameron courtesy of W. Glen & Son.

“We put the plots in hoping that by this summer we would once again be able to come together for what we believe is a really valuable exercise in helping growers make the best informed variety choices, and one that has not been possible for the last year,” said William Charlton, Limagrain UK arable marketing manager.

“We were delighted therefore in the interest from both growers and the seed trade to our open day at the end of July, where we had the opportunity to showcase our Northern variety portfolio and share the results of our work on how to get the best out of these varieties on-farm.”

OSR Portfolio
Key messages to come from Limagrain UK’s arable development officer, Liam Wilkinson, were Limagrain’s OSR genetics are the strongest and most robust that any breeder has seen for a long time.

“Our focus on using genetics to mitigate risk in the oilseed rape crop has been very successful and is fully reflected in the current RL for the North where LG varieties hold the top six positions.”

Within the breeding programme we have been able to focus on issues relevant more specifically to northern conditions and challenges; for example none of our varieties have less than a score of 6 for light leaf spot and our trait-loaded approach offers pod shatter, turnip yellows virus (TuYV) and RLM7 resistances.

These leading varieties have proven themselves consistently over seasons and continue to deliver the yields that growers have come to expect.

In summary:
Aurelia is the top yielding variety for the north at 106% of control. Aurelia is a fully loaded hybrid combining genetic TuYV, pod shatter and RLM7 phoma resistance with the highest light leaf spot rating available on the Recommended List.

LG Aviron is Limagrain’s newest fully loaded hybrid to receive full UK recommendation and joins the RL as joint highest yielding variety at 105% of control. LG Aviron has shown its robustness and consistency throughout testing and is a very vigorous hybrid that can establish well in challenging seedbeds.

Acacia is the highest yielding conventional variety available on the Recommended List at 104% control. Acacia offers key agronomic characteristics of strong autumn and spring vigour, solid disease resistance and short, stiff straw, combined with a high oil content.

Aardvark has early flowering, high vigour and the best disease package out of the recommended conventional varieties with 103% yield for the North.

Aspire is the only recommended conventional variety with crucial TuYV resistance. Aspire is a short robust plant type with very good straw characteristics. A solid disease profile and TuYV resistance means
Aspire fits the early drilling option perfectly, with its slower speed of development.

Limagrain has produced a variety guide for its OSR Portfolio. This covers information on drilling dates, traits, and much more. Download using the link at the bottom of this page.

*2021/22 AHDB Recommended List North

Cereals Plots
One of the stars of the show, LG Astronomer, is an exciting new biscuit wheat that offers one of the most complete agronomic packages of any winter wheat available on the AHDB Recommend List for 2021/22.

“Because of its high specific weight (77.8 kg/hl), all-round agronomic package, and strong yield it ticks a lot of boxes for on-farm security, which is what growers are looking for,” says Limagrain UK’s arable technical manager, Ron Granger.

Other new biscuit wheats on display were LG Prince and LG Illuminate.

“LG Illuminate is popular in the north and has performed very well in the earlier drilling scenario and has a solid specific weight of 76.6 kg/hl, combined with good sprouting resistance.”

“It meets specification for distilling and export, as well as being a biscuit wheat, so it offers northern growers a wide range of market opportunities.”

LG Prince, which is the highest yielding biscuit variety on the RL, is suitable for early and late drilling spots, and also performs well as a second wheat, he says.

“These are great packages; we know that UK farmers are very good at growing biscuit wheats and get really good results, but any of these varieties yield well enough to be grown as feed wheats too.”

Moving on to Group 4 wheats, Mr Granger points out LG Skyscraper is still the highest-yielding winter wheat available on the RL, and continues to deliver these high yields across all situations.

“It has bold grain quality with a high specific weight, and it is widely used by distillers and in soft grists, giving LG Skyscraper multiple market outlets.”

“The variety ticks all the boxes; it works in a first wheat or second wheat slot and because it is suitable for late drilling and quick off the blocks in terms of speed of growth, it is good if you are dealing with a black-grass situation.”

Its greatest asset is the fact its an earlier maturing variety, an important attribute for northern growers.

“Well established soft wheat LG Spotlight also continues to be popular as a soft wheat variety for distilling, with excellent grain quality for securing end use premiums.” Its high stable Hagberg combined with sprouting resistance and a great specific weight should not be underestimated for the north, where harvest can be catchy at the best of times.

Also on show were new promising Group 4 Candidate hard wheat varieties, LG Farrier and LG Typhoon.

“LG Typhoon has potentially one of the highest septoria resistance scores which makes it suitable for the north, and fits across wide drilling windows, including earlier drilling.”

“LG Farrier has consistently produced high yields combined with an excellent specific weight and high stable Hagberg , and has a good resistance profile for mildew and rusts.”

Of Limagrain’s winter barley varieties, LG Mountain is still at the top end of the highest yielding 2-rows, at 104% of control and appears to be the one to beat in the north (105) with its earlier maturity being valuable for northern growers.

“LG Mountain has consistently produced these high yields, since it was brought to the market in 2016, right through to 2020 – which is now recognised to be one of the most challenging growing seasons for many years.”

“This is a really important attribute in a variety, as growers know that whatever the season throws at them, it is able to cope.”

“Over this time, LG Mountain has also demonstrated its ability to produce high yields in both light and heavy soils, showing its flexibility within the rotation.”

“This excellent yield resilience can be attributed to the variety’s good agronomic characteristics of short straw, good disease resistance, earlier maturity and great grain quality,” he adds.

Across the country, farmers faced challenging conditions to get maize established but the focus now has to turn quickly to ensuring a successful harvest to ensure a quality feed to compliment variable grass silage.

Simon Pope from Wynnstay comments that he can not remember a season in recent years where the average drilling date was so late.  “We saw very little maize drilled in late April as it was cold and dry while most of May was cold and wet.  The main drilling window became late May and early June.

“Across Wales and the West Midlands crops are beginning to catch up but a lot will depend on the weather from now on and how rapidly the Ontario Heat Units that drive maturity accumulate.

“One of the stand-out varieties for early vigour and rapid establishment under difficult conditions has been LG Gema. In a shortened growing season high-performing, very early varieties such as Gema really come into their own.”

Agrii National Forage Product Manager Ben Lowe says late sown maize has got going very well and in many cases is further advanced than earlier drilled crops where the seed took a while to get going.  Many crops are looking better than crops sown in late April in a typical year.

“This is largely because later drilled crops were actually sown in optimum conditions with warm soils and adequate moisture and I hope growers remember this in future seasons and throw away the calendar and instead take decisions based on the conditions.”

He suggests there is little if any point establishing crops in poor conditions, and it is always better to wait.  That said you need to choose the appropriate variety.  Drilling late and still harvesting at the normal time truncates the growing season and makes the choice of early maturing varieties essential.

A late drilled late maturing variety may struggle to mature with the consequence of harvesting too soon or having to delay harvest and risk poor conditions

Resolute Maize

“LG Resolute for example is an excellent early maturing variety which has outstanding early vigour to get away quickly.  But it is also the highest on the NIAB/BSPB list for dry matter and ME yield making it an excellent candidate for delaying drilling to ensure optimum conditions.”

Richard Camplin, LG Technical Manager is responsible for the company’s network of trial plots and agrees it might be time to rethink maize planning.  He says the trial plots had to be drilled later this year with the latest plots at the Bangor site in North Wales only drilled at the end of May.

“Going in late, the tilth was good, and soil was warm.  We drilled the seed shallower, and we saw emergence after just six days, and these are now probably the strongest plots we have.  It is about planning for the conditions.

“Later drilled crops has caught up quickly and also have higher plant populations.  We have not lost out and earlier varieties lime Saxon, Dignity and Prospect are looking good with the ability to allow an early harvest,”

He comments earlier drilled crops had higher field losses and poorer plant populations and we have had reports of this from across the country.  Seed was drilled deeper in cold soils and struggled to get away.  This is not to say these crops will not yield well as with fewer plants there will be less competition.

“The challenge now will be to gets crops harvested at the optimum time.  With variable grass silage reported across the country, dairy producers will be looking for a high-quality maize forage but also a feed that can be incorporated in diets quickly to complement the other forages.

“To achieve this will require a commitment to monitoring the crop and being flexible about harvest date rather than harvesting on a set date

He says maize should be harvested when the crop combines maximum starch content with only limited leaf die back so maintaining high digestibility in the vegetative part of the plant.  At the same time, the crop must have sufficient moisture to allow effective compaction in the clamp.  Harvesting a crop too soon will result in sub-optimal starch content, as sugars will not have been converted into starch.

Equally, delaying harvest will result in poorer digestibility of the vegetative part of the plant and reduce digestible fibre which is essential for rumen health.  He advises modern varieties stay green for longer and do not to go brown before being harvested.

“Harvesting date is not a direct function of drilling date but is influenced by OHU accumulation in the growing season with early maturing varieties requiring fewer units.  It is entirely likely that an early maturing variety drilled late could be ready for harvest sooner than expected.

“We regularly run NIRS clinics at markets, allowing farmers to bring plants to assess maturity and fitness for harvest.  Whilst in most years a significant proportion of plants are more mature than the grower expected, this may not be the case this year.  However, to avoid issues from harvesting at the wrong stage we would still urge farmers to start monitoring crop sooner than later.”

Mr Camplin recommends starting to walk the crop from mid to late August to assess maturity and fitness to harvest, to prevent crops going over.  He advises walking well into the crop and looking at plants in several locations.  Never evaluate plants on the field margins.

He says that modern varieties often remain green to maturity, and it is a misunderstanding that maize needs to be dead before harvesting.  The target range for an optimum crop is 32-35% dry matter.  At dry matter levels higher than this, palatability and intakes can be reduced, digestibility will be compromised, and the crop may prove difficult to consolidate, increasing the risk of aerobic spoilage.

“Crops typically dry down at 2% per week so, it is important to start measuring dry matter and assessing maturity, so you aren’t caught out.”

To assess the maturity of the vegetative material he advises looking at the flow of juice from the stem.  “Look to harvest when no juice emerges as the stem is twisted, and when the leaves level with the cob are just beginning to turn brown.

Then assess the grains using the thumb nail test.  The grains at the top of the cob should be like soft cheese, the ones at the bottom should be like hard cheese and the ones in the middle should be soft enough to leave the imprint of a thumbnail on.

He suggests farmers download the LG Maize Manager App onto their phones.  The Harvest Manager module assesses the condition of the crop and advises on target harvest date to ensure the crop is cut at the optimum dry matter to maximise feed values and fermentation quality.

Based on the dry matter of the cob and of the stem, the app will determine if the crop is ready for harvest and recommend a cutting date.  If harvest is not imminent the app uses postcode related weather data to predict when the crop will be suitable for harvest.

“By walking the crop and assessing the state of maturity and the rate at which dry matter is increasing, you increase the prospects of harvesting the crop at the optimum stage to maximise the production of high-quality forage,” Mr Camplin points out.  “The app will then improve the precision of harvest timing, helping maximise the value of the crop they have grown and reduce the risk of incorrect harvest date on silage quality.”

Download the FREE Maize Manager App and see how it can help you!

Two brand new sugar beet varieties have been added to the BBRO 2022 Recommended List, whilst the highest yielding variety on the RL, BTS 1915, keeps its lead for the second year running, at 107.3%.

BTS 5770 has one of the best disease resistance packages available, along with a high sugar content.

BTS 3020 offers high yields and excellent bolting resistance as an earlier sowing option. Ron Granger shares his views on what the new varieties bring to sugar beet growers for the coming season. BTS 5770 offers high yields at 101.5% and flexibility in drilling date, showing excellent Early Sown Bolters (ESB) and Normal Sown Bolters (NSB) characteristics. BTS 5770 has a very robust disease resistance profile; with an 8.1 rating for rust, 5.2 for powdery mildew and limited data from both Betaseed and RL trials, suggest it has better than average Cercospora resistance. BTS 3020 joins the RL as the early bird variety, having consistently delivered 3 years of very low counts in the early sowing period before the 5th of March, including data from 2020, which was a higher year for bolting.

BTS 3020 has high adjusted tonne yields of 102.2%, is the third highest yielding variety on the RL, and offers a very good disease resistance package with a rating of (7.5) for rust and 4.6 for powdery mildew. Both varieties are Rhizomania resistant.

BTS 1915 keeps its lead as the highest yielding variety on the RL, for the second year running, at 107.3%. This significant yield advantage of 4.6% over any other variety on the RL – and also as the highest yielding variety in untreated trials at 108.4%, really proves the quality of the genetics behind the variety.

Bred by Betaseed, the Limagrain UK portfolio offers varieties to suit a range of situations and requirements:

BTS 1915 remains the highest yielding variety on the 2022 Recommended List for the second year running, with an adjusted tonne yield of 107.3%
BTS 5770 (NEW) offers an exceptional disease resistance package, combined with a very high sugar content of 17.6%
BTS 3020 (NEW) is the early bird, offering an opportunity to drill early, and is supported by a strong disease resistance package
BTS 1140 remains competitive – a leading variety and popular with growers
BTS 4100 offers the highest sugar content on the RL, of 17.7%

limagraAcross certain areas of the country many oilseed rape crops have been devastated by the storms whilst others have been left relatively unscathed, showing very clearly the value of pod shatter resistance.

Pod shatter is a natural process for seed dispersion in oilseed rape, however on farm it can result in significant seed loss caused by heavy wind, rain, hailstones, or the combine passing through the crop.

The pod shatter (POSH) resistance gene was originally introduced into OSR together with the restorer gene from radish. But, not all hybrids carry POSH resistance as the trait was lost in the breeding process to improve the restorer.

“Those varieties that do carry a high degree of pod shatter resistance, can make a real difference to seed losses both before and at harvest, which is what we have seen in the last couple of days,” says Limagrain UK’s arable development officer Liam Wilkinson.

However, Mr Wilkinson believes that the value of pod shatter resistance is a trait that is often underestimated and not really fully understood.

“Pod shatter can be quantified as the force required to break a ripe pod – it’s not an ‘either or’ trait.”

“We precisely quantify pod shatter resistance using lab-based techniques, where the force required to shatter the pod is measured, and this clearly shows that not all POSH resistant varieties offer the same level of resistance,” he says.

“All of our hybrids contain the trait and we constantly monitor the efficacy of our pod shatter resistance against other commercial varieties so we can be confident in our claims that the variety really is pod shatter resistant, and this plays out in their high yields and leading position on the current AHDB Recommended List.”

“POSH resistance can also help to provide some flexibility in the timing of the harvest, which can be as much as 14 days extra in our tests,” he says.

“In addition, a robust POSH resistance cuts down the number of volunteers in the following crop, easing the burden of weed control.”

“It doesn’t make sense not to take advantage of the trait, why risk any seed losses if you don’t have to? It’s not as though you pay any more for a variety with good resistance over one that does not,” he says.

For the last two seasons, there has been so little opportunity to have any shared experiences or learnings, so the chance to come together this year has been welcomed.

Ron Granger

Adhering to Covid regulations, small groups visited several stations across the site; each one focusing on different wheat types.

With the increasing loss of crop protection products and the challenges thrown up by unpredictable weather events, interest in untreated yield has been growing, becoming almost more important for many growers than treated plots.

One of the stars of the show drawing the attention of the visitors, was LG Astronomer – an exciting new biscuit wheat that offers one of the most complete agronomic packages of any winter wheat available on the AHDB Recommend List for 2021/22.

“Because of its high specific weight (77.8 kg/hl), all-round agronomic package, and strong yield – in the east it scored 102% – it ticks a lot of boxes for on-farm security, which is what growers are looking for,” said Limagrain’s arable technical manager, Ron Granger.

“It is classified as a biscuit wheat but should not be pigeon-holed as one, as it yields as a barn filler feed wheat too.”

Other new biscuit wheats on display were LG Prince and LG Illuminate.

LG Prince , which is the highest yielding biscuit variety on the RL, does particularly well in the east, scoring 104% of control, and is suitable for early and late drilling spots, and also performs well as a second wheat, he said.

“LG Illuminate is popular in the north and has a solid specific weight of 76.6 kg/hl.”

“It meets specification for distilling and export, as well as being a biscuit wheat, so it offers growers a wide range of market opportunities.”

“These are great packages; we know that UK farmers are very good at growing biscuit wheats and get really good results, but any of these varieties yield well enough to be grown as feed wheats too.”

Moving on to Group 4 wheats, Mr Granger pointed out that LG Skyscraper is still the highest-yielding winter wheat available on the RL, and continues to deliver these high yields across all situations.

“The variety is a KWS Santiago cross, and it ticks all the boxes; it works in a first wheat or second wheat slot and because it is suitable for late drilling and quick off the blocks in terms of speed of growth, it is good if you are dealing with a black-grass situation.”

“It has bold grain quality with a high specific weight, and it is widely used by distillers and in soft grists, giving LG Skyscraper multiple market outlets.”

Also on show were new promising Group 4 Candidate hard varieties, LG Farrier and LG Typhoon.

“LG Farrier has consistently high yields, and a good resistance profile for mildew and rusts, whilst LG Typhoon has potentially one of the highest septoria resistance scores, and fits across wide drilling windows, including earlier drilling.”

Mr Granger pointed out that Group 1 milling wheat, Crusoe, remains very popular with both millers and farmers, and is holding up well agronomically too.

Mr Granger said: “It has high protein, good quality grain and a stable Hagberg, alongside an excellent disease package that includes a 9 for yellow rust – which has held up well despite the changing pathogens.”

Limagrain’s varietal offering for Group 2 is also looking strong, with varieties such as LG Detroit and newer material waiting in the wings

LG Detroit has orange wheat blossom midge (OWBM) resistance, it works as a first or second wheat, and looks to be competitive with KWS Siskin on yield.

“We are currently assessing a number of different seed rates to build a robust data set, so we can see which gives the best results for farmers in all sorts of conditions.”

The breeder is also looking at specialist wheats such as white wheat, and has some at an early generational stage,

“Sprouting can be a real problem in white wheats, but this one is promising because it has better sprouting resistance and a good Hagberg,” explained Phil Tailby, senior wheat breeder.

Turnips yellows virus (TuYV) is transmitted by aphids and it is believed that 70% of the most common aphid, peach potato aphids (Myzus persicae) carry it. Work carried out at Brooms Barn a decade ago, showed a 30% yield penalty where levels of the virus were high and infection occurred early in the crop’s life.

Since 2015 plant breeders Limagrain have led the way in monitoring levels of TuYV in non-resistant or susceptible crops across the whole of Europe, including the UK.

Leaf samples are taken both in the spring and autumn and tested using the standard Elisa test.

Symptoms of TuYV

“We’ve mapped the incidence of TuYV from the UK to Ukraine and seen it build over the years,” notes William Charlton, arable marketing manager for Limagrain. “We’re getting to a situation where TuYV is now endemic across Europe, and no longer confined to hotspots.” Sampling is carried out twice during the growing season, with an initial small-scale survey conducted in the autumn, followed by extensive testing carried out in early spring.

Results from this spring’s sampling confirm that one third of all the UK’s non-resistant oilseed rape crops sampled were infected with TuYV. Samples were taken from 26 locations across the British Isles. The highest rates of infection, which were as much as 81-100%, were reported in the Midlands.

As would be expected, high rates of infection of 66-80%, were reported from the south-east, but similarly high levels of infection were also detected as far north as the borders, and as far west as Wales. One third of non-resistant OSR crops across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Wales/Shropshire were also infected.

“Five years ago we would not have seen these cases in the north and west, which just goes to show how TuYV is becoming increasingly widespread, and is now endemic in the UK OSR crop, irrespective of region.”

Effects of TuYV

The link between high numbers of aphids in the autumn and corresponding levels of infection is clear, explains Mr Charlton. “Infection usually occurs in September to October when aphids are still flying; the earlier a crop is infected, the more severe the symptoms tend to be with harsher yield penalty as the plants have less seeds/pods.”

“Early drilled crops that are more open, corresponding with mild autumnal conditions, are at the highest risk.”

“As control of aphids has become increasingly difficult, so numbers have increased, with a subsequent build up of TuYV inoculum in the environment.”

“Once an aphid is infected, it is infected for life – if an uninfected aphid feeds on an infected plant, the aphid becomes infected and so the cycle continues. Infected plants produce fewer side branches, pods, and seeds per pod. It’s confined to the phloem, so potentially robs the plant of resources that would be fed to the roots.

“But you often don’t see severe symptoms, which is why TuYV often goes undetected. Today’s challenge is that it has become increasingly difficult to control early infection with the loss of neonicotinoid seed treatments, and getting the timings right for spray’s is very difficult.”

“Genetic resistance is by far the best way forward.” The value of genetic resistance to TuYV has been well proven since Limagrain launched the first TuYV resistant variety Amalie back in 1995.
Initially the genetic resistance came with a yield lag, but innovative breeding has overcome this and today, Limagrain TuYV-resistant varieties, both hybrids and conventionals, top the AHDB Recommended List confirming the value of the resistance in protecting against detrimental yield loss from TuYV.

Mr Charlton notes that varieties carrying TuYV resistance also play an important role in IPM, as there is less reliance on insecticides which are challenging to time correctly.

“Over the last few years, in areas where the risk of TuYV infection is very high, we have seen the uptake of TuYV varieties to be as much as 80% of the total crop.”

“There’s such a strong argument for growing a TuYV-resistant variety, why wouldn’t you?”

Limagrain’s top yielding varieties all carry TuYV resistance:

A few changes to establishment could help ensure a more successful late sown crop.

Modern varieties typically require 150 growing days, and are normally sown on 1^st May, giving a harvest on 1^st October.

Trials conducted by LG examined the effect of sowing maize at weekly intervals throughout May and then harvesting at weekly intervals from end of September until the end of October.

On average, there was a dry matter loss of 5% per week as a consequence of late drilling and a 1.8% per week decline in dry matter content.  So it will be important to take steps to reduce any potential impact.

Step 1                 

If possible, swap to an earlier maturing variety, (maturity class 8 -10) preferably around 40 FAO points lower than a usual variety for the farm

Step 2                 

If not possible to change to an earlier variety, then reduce seed rate by at least 5% to give each plant more space and access to more resources to mature

Step 3                 

Sow shallower (2-3cm depending on soil type) as soils will be warm enough with adequate moisture to allow plants to get away strongly

Step 4                

Consider nitrogen applications – too much nitrogen will delay maturity

Fine tuning maize establishment will still allow late sown crops to deliver good yields of a high quality feed to help offset any shortfall in winter feed stocks. Make sure all the bases are covered, act on soil sample results, watch for trace element deficiency etc.

Remember, your late sown crop may not be far behind early sown crops into cold wet seed beds.

For more information on any LG maize variety, or to check the FAO rating, click here to go to our maize product page.

Just over 550ha of the 1000ha farm is dedicated to arable crops, 30ha is rented out for seed potatoes and there are 100 cows and 2200 ewes at the low-ground farm.

Farm Manager Chris Lovie says: “Although we are a mixed farm, before I started working here two years ago, they used to run a tight arable rotation, with lots of brassicas for grazing sheep through the winter. This led to incidences of Clubroot, and we are now working to manage this threat.”

Clubroot is a major issue in rape in Scotland’s arable rotations, with over 50% of fields used for oilseed rape carrying the disease – and in areas like Aberdeenshire, the incidence is higher with the majority of fields affected.

Yield losses on average are around a third of a tonne for every 10% disease severity, but in severe early infections in warm autumns emergence can be so poor that crops are ploughed back in so, at the extreme end, yield losses can be 100%.

If a field is infected then drilling a variety listed as clubroot resistant is still the primary means of reducing the risk of yield loss.

Planning rotations is also really important to keep fields profitable for the long term. Even stretching oilseed rape rotations out in infected fields from three, out to five years is enough to make a difference to infection levels and reduce pressure on the varietal resistance mechanism.

Chris Lovie, Farm Manager at Dunecht Home Farms

In Mr Lovie’s approach to tackling Clubroot at Dunecht the rotation is being widened to include a minimum of spring and winter barley, wheat and oilseed rape in the rotation. This will help to ensure that rape is not grown more frequently than one in eight years.

He always looks to grow a Clubroot resistant variety, but notes it also has to be suitable for the more challenging winter conditions of Aberdeenshire.

“Being so far north, the cold can set in quite early on, so we look for good autumn vigour and we like a variety that is able to put on enough biomass.”

He aims to create the best possible seedbeds to get the crop up and away as soon as possible. “Ploughing is useful for creating tilth for an even seed bed on what are often very wet soils, and also helps keep slugs under control.”

He is also evaluating shallow and direct drilling using a Simba Horsch drill.

Drilling usually starts in August, with the rape often going in after winter barley, or spring barley if he can combine it early enough.

His plans for next year are to grow the exciting, new Limagrain variety LG Anarion, which is the first to offer effective Clubroot resistance, along with TuYV and pod shatter resistance, without compromising yields.

In Limagrain trials, LG Anarion showed an 11% yield increase over its current clubroot variety, Alasco, and 5% over other leading club root varieties; representing a significant improvement and further closing of the yield gap associated with Clubroot resistance.

“LG Anarion has very strong autumn dynamic growth with fast biomass accumulation and then sits in the winter, so it does not get too ahead of itself. It exhibits very good winter hardiness,” says Mr Lovie.

Agronomically there is much to like about the variety; it offers good disease resistance with breeders data suggesting ratings of 6 for light leaf spot, 6+ for phoma and a good tolerance to verticillium.

Mr Lovie also likes LG Anarion because it has early-mid flowering and maturity, as he finds that the longer oilseed rape flowers for, the better it performs. It also has good ratings for stem stiffness and lodging.

Moving on to talk about other cultural controls he is undertaking to reduce the incidence of Clubroot, he reveals that although some of the soils on the farm are loamy, they are generally not the most fertile.

“We are working to improve this so we are taking remedial activity with applications of cattle and sheep muck, plus the occasional pig muck.

“We are also trying to improve the organic matter content by adding digestate.”

He notes that low soil pH is often associated with Clubroot, so he is keeping an eye on acidity, and current pH is 6.2.

“We soil sample every 5 years and apply calcium lime variably.”

While N, P and K are applied at planting, Mr Lovie has moved to using a liquid fertiliser strategy with two applications in spring; one in early March and the other just before flowering to keep the crop flowering.

Mr Lovie says: “At the other end of the growing season, we direct cut it, so good pod shatter resistance is increasingly important to protect yields, especially as we often find that harvest gets divided into two parts.”

“As a way of getting there, we have found that LG Anarion ticks all the boxes for us agronomically while also offering really good yields.”

Charlie Catto of Agrii, agronomist for Dunecht Home Farms, is looking forward to having LG Anarion available for his customers from next year.

“When it comes to oilseed rape, the faster it establishes the better chance it stands, so what is really appealing about LG Anarion is its ability to get out the blocks promptly,” says Mr Catto.

“The high autumn vigour, will help it to grow away from any potential flea beetle and slug damage.”

Fast establishment can be particularly important when it comes to a practical fit into the rotation, he adds, explaining that, if oilseed rape follows spring barley it is drilled a bit later than he would ideally like, so being able to establish well before the cold weather sets in, is a really important characteristic.

He is also pleased to see LG Anarion has pod shatter resistance, as this is high on his list of important traits for any new variety, noting that when windy at harvest this can make a difference to the yield of as much as 1t/ha in direct cutting situations.

“I really like the agronomic profile of the variety because it has resistance to the important pests and diseases, without taking a hit on yield.”

“For example, although turnip yellows (TuYV) is not yet much of a problem in this part of Scotland, by having resistance, growers know that they will not lose yield from this pathogen if it does become more prevalent.”

“As an agronomist, it is useful to find a Clubroot variety that has good light leaf spot and Phoma resistance ratings. We saw high levels of light leaf spot this winter in Aberdeenshire, so together with a good fungicide strategy, it will provide growers with effective crop protection.

“When these agronomic characteristics are added to yield and oil content – a high yielding Clubroot resistant oilseed rape variety supported by a robust agronomic package – it’s clear that LG Anarion is an excellent choice for the farmer’s gross margin.”

“Where we have issues with clubroot it certainly ticks all the boxes I’m looking for and will be my first choice this Autumn.”