Harvest Highlights from our LG Legends Demo Farmers

Harvest 2026 has provided another opportunity to see how LG varieties perform under real farming conditions. We caught up with LG Legend growers Ryan McCormack in Suffolk and Rob Atkin in Staffordshire, to hear how their crops performed through this testing season and any key lessons learnt from harvest.

Meet the growers

Dennington Hall Farms in Suffolk is a 1,600ha combinable crops and sugar beet operation. This season, the farm grew around 15 different varieties across all crops, plus several blends.

Located just outside Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, Rob Atkin manages Field Hall, a 1,000-acre farm with a focus on arable cropping and grass-fed, home-reared cattle. Rob grows a wide range of varieties tailored to different roles in the rotation.

Winter barley

Winter barley delivered some of the standout results from Harvest 2026 for the two growers. At Dennington Hall Farms, all LG varieties exceeded 10 t/ha. LG Carpenter topped the yields at 11.71 t/ha, while LG Capitol impressed with 11.39 t/ha and the highest specific weight of 68.1 kg/hl.

LG Carpenter was the top performing winter barley variety for Ryan.

Looking at results beyond yield, LG Carpenter stood out for its speed of emergence and grain quality, with Ryan describing it as having “a lovely looking big ear” and adding that “it was the best-looking variety by eye, plus the tallest.”

For Rob Atkin at Field Hall, after comparing all of his LG Winter barleys grown in a demonstration scenario, it was his LG Catapult that stood out most, achieving the highest grain yield of 8.27 t/ha, with a specific weight of 69 kg/hl. His LG Caravelle demo proved why it has been the commercial choice on farm, coming in with the second highest yield of 7.6 t/ha, with a very good specific weight of 70 kg/hl.

Rob also grew LG Caravelle commercially on two different fields. Both crops were cultivated and drilled into heavy clay soils as second cereals, with a tine drill on the 23^rd of September. The land was extremely waterlogged throughout the winter and early spring, which then inevitably delayed spring development and tillering.

Even in these challenging conditions, the variety performed – the highest yielding field still achieved 6.7 t/ha, in line with the farm average of 6.7 to 7.4 t/ha.

Oilseed rape

Despite the testing late spring and early summer, oilseed rape was one of the crops that performed very well across the country, and the results from the two farms reflected this. In Suffolk, Dennington’s tramline trial saw Magelan deliver the highest yield at 5.90 t/ha, followed by LG Adapt (5.24 t/ha) and LG Academic (4.85 t/ha).

LG Academic was the highest-yielding oilseed rape variety for Rob Atkin.

Further west in Staffordshire, Rob Atkin’s plot trial recorded LG Academic as the highest-yielding variety at 5.92 t/ha, closely followed by LG Adapt (5.61 t/ha) and LG Armada and LG Adeline, both with a yield of 5.58 t/ha.

Commercial crop performance reinforced the value of LG genetics, with LG Avenger delivering competitive yields and strong returns in both farming systems.

Whilst the actual highest-yielding variety differed between locations, LG Academic and LG Adapt featured among the strongest performers at both sites, demonstrating dependable performance across contrasting farming systems.

Winter wheat

Winter wheat demonstrated strong performance despite a season marked by prolonged dryness in the spring, temperatures reaching 37.5°C and limited rainfall. At Dennington, LG Defiance delivered yields of up to 13.9 t/ha in direct-drilled large demonstration strips.

A commercially grown crop of LG Lotus achieved yields of 10.23 t/ha with 180 kg N/ha for Ryan, while the commercial crop of LG Defiance produced 8.67 t/ha with only 166 kg N/ha.

Over at Atkin Farms, LG Rebellion delivered yields exceeding 9 t/ha from 190 kg N, plus sulphur.

Key takeaways for 2027

• In a challenging season, profitability, input efficiency and resilience proved just as important as outright yield.
• Strong performance isn’t just about the highest yield. Grain quality, harvestability and consistency all contributed to crop value this season.
• LG varieties delivered competitive results across different regions, rotations and growing conditions.

Oilseed rape looks set to be Lincolnshire grower Ben Jackson’s most profitable crop this year, but he’s avoiding any knee-jerk reaction to increase his area for 2027.

Success in recent years has come from a more considered approach, with the crop grown no more than one year in five across the rotation, taking its place alongside first wheats, barley, legumes, linseed and maize.

Also underpinning rape’s upturn in fortunes on the farm has been a fresh look at establishment, which includes a firm philosophy to drill according to conditions and not date, along with a commitment to hybrid varieties.

“We’re taking a long term view with our cropping, and that includes oilseed rape,” says Mr Jackson. “Reducing its frequency in the rotation has certainly helped us to achieve better and more consistent performance, particularly in combatting flea beetle, as has being more selective about the fields used to grow it each year.

“We still don’t know enough about how far the beetle will migrate within a farm, so maximising the distance between previous rape crops and new drilling is an additional safeguard that we’re taking.”

Mr Jackson’s approach reflects several of the management principles promoted by the OSR Reboot Programme, including special separation and careful field selection, hybrid variety choice, and establishment based on conditions rather than calendar date.

From a base at Low Farm, Somerby, J.J. Jackson Ltd grew 480ha of oilseed rape for a 2026 harvest that spanned 11^th to 17^th July. Split mainly between the Limagrain Field Seeds hybrid varieties Attica, LG Adapt and LG Avenger, the crop achieved an average yield of 4.5t/ha, at 7.5% moisture and with an oil content of 45.5%.

“We’re very happy with the outcome,” says Mr Jackson, “with these yields well above the norm for us. We’re really seeing the value of hybrid vigour in these varieties, and will continue with broadly the same acreage and with the refined growing methodology that we’ve developed in recent years.”

Patience at drilling time is one of the key points, with nothing going into the ground until both moisture and soil temperatures are optimal, and there is greater accuracy in the use of a Sumo LDS that places the seed alongside liquid fertiliser.

“I’d rather wait until September than go earlier in the wrong conditions,” he adds. “Hybrid vigour is a big benefit here, as the crop requires less time, so there is no real pressure to drill early.

“We’re using a lower seed rate too, to give these more vigorous plants the space to grow.

“The important thing is to be ready to go as soon as conditions come right, so that we achieve the rapid establishment that will allow the crop to put its roots down and grow away from the flea beetle threat.”

Pre- and post-emergence herbicides are important, and some blackgrass control is incorporated into what is a largely standard inputs programme. Much of the land benefits from farmyard manure, so spring fertiliser tends to focus on nitrogen and sulphur, split over three applications, with P and K applied only where needed.

“We’re looking for the crop to kick on again in the spring, and the hybrid varieties do just that, developing a thick stem within robust and resilient plants,” says Mr Jackson.

“Harvest has been earlier this year, for all crops, but this has certainly not been to the detriment of the oilseed rape.”

With high quality oilseeds safely in store, it’s now about applying discipline in relation to next year’s crop, maintaining a sustainable acreage in the rotation, waiting for optimum conditions, and continuing to draw on the latest hybrid breeding technology.

A strong harvest performance from Ambassador and LG Armada oilseed rape varieties, has given Sherborne, Dorset grower, Tom Matthews of Marston Agriculture, plenty of confidence to put Limagrain OSR back in the ground next season.

Harvested on 9^th July, Tom’s two crops averaged a yield of 4.75 t/ha over the weighbridge, with his best field of Ambassador reaching an impressive 5.39 t/ha.

For Tom, Ambassador’s performance comes as very little surprise, having previously been impressed by the variety’s pod shatter resistance, alongside Limagrain’s track record for reliable, high-yielding OSR varieties.

“Five years ago, we grew a competitor variety which did not perform well,” Tom says. “LG’s pod shatter trait impressed me because it actually worked! LG always seem to have the top yielding oilseed rape varieties.”

Tom has been impressed with Limagrain’s oilseed rape varieties.

Ambassador was originally recommended by Nickerson’s southern regional manager, Fraser House, and given how highly Tom values the technical knowledge and support on offer from the Nickerson team, it was an easy choice for him.

Drilled from 9^th to 11^th September, Tom’s crops remained particularly clean throughout the season, however, considering the general unpredictability of OSR yield performance, Tom admits that the real test comes at harvest, once the combine goes into the crop.

All of Tom’s crops are grown without desiccation, and his oil content results are still awaited – although the farm has historically achieved high results, consistently exceeding 46%, and reaching a record of 49%, with Limagrain OSR varieties.

As one of the earliest harvests on record wraps up across the UK, growers turning their attention to oilseed rape drilling are being urged to hold their nerve and wait for moisture, rather than be guided by the calendar. 

The advice comes from Florentina Petrescu, oilseed rape product manager for Limagrain Field Seeds UK who says the hot, dry summer has left soils critically short of the moisture needed to establish a crop successfully. 

“There needs to be a decent amount of rain to restore moisture levels to where they need to be to sustain a rapidly emerging rape crop,” she says. 

Oilseed rape seed goes through a series of physiological processes during germination. Initially, the seed rapidly takes up water through imbibition, initiating germination. Continued water uptake is necessary to support further metabolic activation until germination is complete.  

“How often have we seen seed that has started to germinate, only for it to wither away through lack of soil moisture before completing emergence?” says Florentina. “This shows how sufficient moisture is needed in the soil to start the process, and then more rain following drilling, to ensure there is enough moisture for the crop to emerge.” 

Her advice is to be guided by seedbed conditions rather than the date on the calendar. 

“With not much rain in the forecast, many will be worrying about compromising establishment by holding off drilling until conditions improve. However, holding off doesn’t compromise yield,” she says.  

“It is possible to get good yields from later-drilled rape, when it is sown into the right conditions. In fact, later-sown crops can often outperform some of the earlier drilled crops.  

“Hybrid varieties will also have better vigour contributing to faster emergence and greater early biomass accumulation which results in a rapid establishment of the crop.” 

She points out crops drilled mid-September up in the Lincolnshire Wolds achieve yields of over 6t/ha, so there is definitely high yield potential for crops drilled into September in the right conditions. 

Florentina explains how strong oilseed rape yields can still be achieved from later-drilled crops when established in the right conditions.

“It is crucial to give the crop the right conditions to establish from the start, because that gives it the best chance of reaching its full yield potential. Drilling when conditions are not right means yield potential has already started to be eroded before the crop is even out of the ground.” 

That principle of waiting for the right conditions has been borne out for Rutland grower Sarah Bell, whose 17-hectare crop of LG Armada has delivered exceptional results after being drilled into a firm, moist seedbed last August after timely rain in late July into early August — proof, she says, of what a modern hybrid can achieve when conditions are favourable from drilling right through to harvest. 

The crop yielded strongly at 10% moisture, fully justifying the decision to grow it. 

“It is a strategic decision to grow oilseed rape, based on a risk-versus-reward calculation,” says Sarah, “and this year it has certainly paid off. 

“I like the Limagrain varieties because of the genetic resilience that’s been bred into them. Good disease resistance, strong vigour and good rooting are all traits that help to tip the balance a little more in the grower’s favour, so it’s an important part of the decision-making process.” 

Sarah has been impressed by the disease resistance and strong vigour of Limagrain’s oilseed rape varieties.

On the mixed farm, which runs suckler cows and sheep alongside its cropping, soils generally benefit from the legacy of farmyard manure, and the field that grew the LG Armada was in a favourable state. 

“This was a relatively light, but well-bodied site, and it had been ploughed two years earlier,” Sarah explains. “Spring barley preceded the oilseed rape, with minimal carryover risk from cover cropping, and there was plenty of moisture for early drilling. 

“We used berseem clover as a companion crop and, crucially, the rape was up and out of the ground and looking great very quickly.” 

The crop received a top dressing of 30kgN/ha in the autumn, and 190kgN/ha plus SO3 in two applications in the spring, with some early grass weed control. Fungicides and other inputs were kept to a bare minimum — a decision that paid off in a low disease-pressure season. 

“Our rainfall from April through to June was around 25% less than our average, and what we did have came in two heavy bursts,” Sarah adds. “The fact that the oilseed rape did so well is testament to the strength of its rooting, and the long dry spells kept any fungal disease at bay. 

“By harvest, in mid-July, the crop was seven feet tall, with stems as thick as my thumb. It has really shown what can be achieved when conditions allow full genetic potential to be realised.” 

Conditions will again determine whether winter oilseed rape goes into Sarah’s rotation for 2027, but she is content in the knowledge that — when there is moisture at drilling time and flea beetle pressure is low — she can reap the benefits of progressive plant breeding. 

With a first oilseed rape harvest in three years safely in storage, Lincolnshire grower David Bristow is pleased with the outcome and has already committed to at least maintaining his acreage for 2026-27.

Like so many growers, he was forced to take a break from the crop following years of battling flea beetle, but has been tempted back by plant breeding developments, including greater resilience to CSFB.

He has grown 52ha of LG Avenger, recording a finally verified yield of 4.04t/ha, with moisture content between 7 and 9%. Whilst being at the lower end of his mid-season expectations, he’s very satisfied, not least given the impact of the exceptionally hot and dry conditions leading up to harvest.

“We harvested the oilseed rape on the 10^th and 11^th of July, which would be a week to ten days earlier than normal for us,” he reports. “Given the rate at which the crop dried, which may have caused some issues with the desiccation, it was a relatively easy harvest.”

Farming at the 650ha Stourton Estate, on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, David is pleased to have a viable oilseed rape crop back in his rotation.

Following winter barley, the crop was drilled in the last week of August. Stubbles were cultivated with a low disturbance subsoiler before drilling with the farm’s Horsch Avatar at 2.6 kg/ha, alongside a companion crop of buckwheat (5 kg/ha) and a surface dressing of 150 kg/ha of DAP fertiliser.

LG Avenger established quickly and evenly at Stourton Estate, helping Mr Bristow achieve a successful return to oilseed rape.

Waiting for moisture before drilling paid dividends, as the LG Avenger was up and away quickly, with the drill achieving an even seed depth and excellent establishment.

An absence of the classical ‘shot-holing’ in the autumn was noted, and – as larval assessments in the spring confirmed – CSFB pressure was generally fairly low. This was despite no insecticides being used on the farm for the past six years, with a large area now under the SFI no insecticide action (CIPM4).

Nevertheless, Mr Bristow is very aware that CSFB remains a threat to oilseed rape, so has been keen to do all he can to mitigate the risks when coming back into the crop. This includes selecting LG Avenger, for it’s CSFB resilience, alongside the other management practices.

“A number of small things around establishment have added up to make a significant difference,” he says, “as has the right nutrition to boost spring growth.”

“We only applied two fungicides in the spring, and nothing last autumn, as the combination of LG Avenger’s phoma resistance and our careful disease monitoring was enough. Crops just never reached the threshold for treatment.”

Pod shatter resistance is another trait Mr Bristow has valued, especially as the tractor and trailed sprayer used for desiccation lack the ground clearance of self-propelled machines.

“LG Avenger has been a nice variety to grow, yielding well from a relatively easy harvest,” he concludes, “so we’re happy to be growing it again next year.”    

North Yorkshire farmer Paul Rogers is reporting one of his best ever oilseed rape harvests, with his 43ha crop averaging well over 5 tonnes/ha.

He points to the continuing progress in plant breeding as a major reason why he’s kept rape in his rotation for the last twenty five years, and sticks to a management philosophy that ensures he makes the most of the genetics.

“You have to be led by the conditions, and moisture in the seedbed with relatively early drilling are amongst the most critical factors,” he says. “We grow a hybrid variety, because it has the vigour to get up and out of the ground and establish quickly, which we find is the best way to combat flea beetle.”

Mr Rogers has grown Limagrain’s hybrid LG Adapt for the last two years. High ranking for yield and oil content, and suitable for all areas, the variety also has an outstanding trait package, including pod shatter resistance, strong stem health, and resistance to Phoma and Turnip Yellows Virus.

The 2026 crop followed spring barley, with the majority going in on 3^rd August and a 9ha block drilled three weeks later.

Paul has praised Limagrain’s plant breeding programme.

“We have an air seeder mounted on our Vaderstad TopDown, with a roller directly behind that helps to keep the moisture in the seedbed,” he explains. “It’s not as precise as some sowing methods, but has proven to be effective over the years.”

On land benefitting from plenty of farmyard manure in the past, the fertiliser inputs are relatively modest, with seedbed nitrogen at 75 units/ha and a 0:20:30 PK compound applied at around 115kg/ha.

“The main crop grew away really quickly, and we were concerned it might have become too big, but it sorted itself out,” recalls Mr Rogers. “The later drilled field was affected by flea beetle, so we had to spray it three times, but it came through alright.”

“By the spring we could see that the crop had real potential. We sprayed against Sclerotinia, and top-dressed with fertiliser in early March.”

Harvested on 26^th July, the earlier drilled proportion yielded 5.7t/ha, around half a tonne per hectare more than the later drilled field, with moisture content for most of the crop being under 9%.

“We’re very happy overall,” concludes Mr Rogers. “We stick to a tried and trusted method, and have great faith in the plant breeding programme, which continues to offer resilient varieties.”

Oilseed rape is expected to be one of the outstanding performers this season across Andrew Reed’s 800 hectares of mixed arable cropping, up in the north eastern corner of Northumberland, near Berwick-upon-Tweed.

He had taken the bold move of replacing previously successful Aurelia with newly recommended LG Adapt, staying true to his commitment to continually push forward with new breeding advances.

As the rape harvest concluded on 2^nd August, he was estimating a yield of close to 5.5t/ha, confident that his crop management had enabled the new hybrid to deliver fully on its genetic potential.

“We selected the variety on the basis of our agronomist’s advice and Limagrain’s trial results, with disease resistance traits as important as its yield potential,” says Mr Reed. “It has been a fantastic crop throughout, holding up to the weather conditions and delivering the kind of performance that we’d hoped for. There was a nervous period leading up to harvest, as it was a good 18 days between the desiccant going on and making the decision cut, but it looks like we were right to be patient.”

Andrew has been impressed by the consistent performance of Limagrain’s oilseed rape varieties.

Oilseed rape has long been a part of the rotation at East Anscroft Farm, typically grown one year in seven, following two wheats, two spring barleys, beans and winter barley. Seed for the 2026 crop was drilled with a seeder on the Simba SL 400, with a liquid starter fertiliser, and slug pellets applied, before firming up the seedbed with Cambridge rolls.

“This was all carried out within a tight window, between the 15^th and 20^th August,” adds Mr Reed, “and the crop got away well.”

In addition to some weed control and foliar micronutrients, an insecticide was applied in the autumn, but no fungicides were required.  In the spring, the crop received two main fungicide applications, one with additional growth regulation and foliar micronutrients at stem extension in March, and one more at flowering in late-April. Phosphate and potash was applied at variable rates in March, and the crop had a total of 245kgN/ha in three splits.

With the farm’s trailed sprayer lacking the clearance of many self-propelled machines, and much of the land being relatively exposed to the elements, seed loss around harvest is always a concern for Mr Reed, but he’s confident the variety’s strengths have paid dividends.

“The plants were well structured, rigid and hardy, and the pod shatter resistance has been effective, so we’re very happy with the outcome. We’re certainly going again with Adapt.”

Robert Mann is a business partner in R and G Mann, which farms over 450 hectares north of the river Blackwater in Essex. Operating a diverse arable rotation, the business has grown through both contract and shared locations. 

Having taken a break from growing oilseed rape as part of his rotation, Robert was advised to grow LG Academic to fill a gap in his rotation. His typical rotation consists of  wheat, barley, grass, and oilseed rape, with oilseed rape grown once every seven years.  When Robert was searching for a variety, he needed strong agronomic traits, particularly pod shatter resistance and Turnip Yellows Virus (TuYV). LG Academic met these requirements, as part of its robust disease resistance package. 

Robert has been impressed with the disease resistance and yield of LG Academic

At harvest in July, LG Academic delivered a yield of 4.2t/ha, a result that impressed Robert given the challenging weather throughout the season.

“It was certainly above what I was expecting as conditions have been horrendously dry. As the crop grew, I could see it was the real deal. I believe you can always tell the quality of a crop once you’ve combined it, and the stalks were still green after harvest.”

Following the impressive yield results this season, Robert has no hesitation growing LG Academic again.

“I will certainly grow it again next season alongside a large percentage of hybrids. I was amazed at how well it produced large healthy plants.  It delivered exactly as it described; I’m quite nervous when spending money on seed due to the conditions, but we’ve more than made our money on it.” 

To help growers follow crop performance through the season, Limagrain Field Seeds launched its inaugural Demo Farm initiative this year, hosting on-farm demonstration days across the country.

The aim was straightforward: to give growers the chance to see varieties performing in the field, discuss results directly with farmers and Limagrain experts, and gain practical, real-world insight beyond what trial plot data alone can offer.

One of these demo farms is hosted by Rob Atkin at Field Farm, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. Rob has been involved in practical farm trials for many years, including work on variable rate technology and environmental initiatives aimed at improving soil health and reducing water pollution.

He has been integrating cover crops and livestock into his system, while maintaining a strong focus on economic performance.

“I still need yield to pay the bills, so yield is important,” he says. “But I want varieties that work in real farm conditions, not just in perfect plots. I want to know how they perform under pressure and whether they genuinely fit into my system.”

Field Farm operates across a wide range of soil types, from heavy clay through to high-organic-matter silt. It’s a mixed operation, combining arable cropping with beef and sheep enterprises, with a growing focus on soil health and cost control across the business.

Trials established at Field Farm this year include a field-scale comparison of establishment techniques in wheat and barley, alongside winter wheat, spring barley and oilseed rape variety trials. On one of the hottest days of the summer, under clear blue skies, visitors to the open day were guided through the latest cereal and oilseed rape variety trials. Limagrain’s newly recommended winter bean, LG Arctic, was also on trial, alongside a range of early maturing maize varieties.

Varieties discussed on the day ranged from those narrowly missing out on Recommended List inclusion, to new candidates progressing through trials, to recently listed varieties now available to growers. The overarching theme was consistency of yield across different seasons and drilling situations, alongside strong disease resistance profiles.

Find out more about our oilseed rape varieties here.

Yellow Rust

Yellow rust in wheat was the key issue leading discussions at the wheat plots. Ron Granger, arable technical manager for the breeder, urged growers not to discount any variety simply because of revisions to its yellow rust rating, especially where other favourable characteristics remained unchanged.

“Take LG Typhoon, for example — yes, you have to watch yellow rust more closely given the Yr15 changes, but it’s still got fantastic Septoria resistance, has the agronomics to suit wider-row direct drilling situations, and is still a true early drilling variety.”

He went on to suggest early rust control was vital, especially where juvenile plant resistance is not available in a variety. However, he pointed out that some varieties had held off yellow rust better later in the season, once adult resistance kicked in post growth stage 37.

“The speed of early rust development in different varieties is something that should be looked at more closely by the industry, as it’s evident this season that some varieties surprised us with how late rust developed in them compared with previous years. We still have a lot to learn, and our pathologist is certainly being kept busy this season.”

Maize in the Rotation

As part of the Demo Farm trial, a series of plots comparing maize varieties has been set up at the Staffordshire site. The site forms part of a wider network of farm trials Limagrain is running this year across the north, as the crop continues to grow in importance on more northerly farms. Yield and quality assessments will be taken pre-harvest to better understand how these varieties perform on more challenging sites.

After struggling with oilseed rape establishment a few years ago, Rob introduced maize into the rotation. “We are a marginal site here for maize, so we are looking for very early/ultra-early maturing varieties. This suits the rotation, as it gives us a good entry for a following crop of wheat. Growing ultra-early varieties also gives us some flexibility to drill a little later, should we need to. It’s also a useful break crop to help clean up weeds.”

LG’s ultra-early variety Flashmob fits this bill well and is used by Rob in his beef finishing ration, as well as being grown for a neighbouring dairy farm — a useful outlet for their slurry and a way of freeing up land.

“As long as the crop pays for itself and covers its costs, we are happy, and it has done this so far.”

This year’s trials cover a range of early and ultra-early maize varieties to assess performance under Field Farm’s conditions. “As well as commercial and near-commercial varieties, there are also some new coded lines for evaluation,” explains Richard Camplin, forage technical manager for Limagrain.

The plots were drilled after autumn stubble turnips, which sheep had grazed off. “We went in with a subsoiler before drilling, as it had been a bit wet and the sheep probably stayed on a bit longer than needed, so there was some compaction. The crop got 15t/ha of muck and 150kg/ha of nitrogen later on — and after struggling through a cold, wet June, is now knee high and starting to fill out,” says Rob.

PANEL: Cultivations Trial — Direct Drilling vs Shallow Cultivation

For Rob Atkin, one of the most interesting aspects of the trials was comparing cultivation methods and their effect on establishment and crop quality heading towards harvest.

“We started our min-till journey on the farm in 2003, moved into shallow cultivations, and now direct drill in the main,” Rob explains. “We were interested to see how the same variety — in this instance LG Defiance — grown in the same field, would look when direct drilled versus established after shallow cultivations.”

Wheat trial
“Initially, the wheat established in shallow-cultivated soil performed better, showing more early vigour than the direct-drilled crop,” says Rob. “However, this reversed through spring: the direct-drilled wheat tillered more strongly — likely because it had needed to work harder to establish its roots early on, leaving it better founded once the dry spring set in. By comparison, the shallow-cultivated wheat looked thinner. However, heading towards harvest, it’s now hard to tell the two apart. Harvest will tell the true story.”

Spring barley trial
A similar comparison was run in a field of spring barley, using new Limagrain variety LG Aquarius. The barley was drilled into a field that had previously been cover-cropped and grazed by sheep, leaving some soil compaction. Results followed a similar pattern to the wheat: “The cultivated crop established better initially, as it didn’t have to work through the compaction left by the sheep. However, the direct-drilled barley now looks stronger and hasn’t ‘shot’ in the way the cultivated crop has — again likely because its roots were forced to work harder and go deeper during spring, helping it hold up better through the summer heat. As with the wheat, harvest will reveal the full picture.”

Why it matters
Even small yield differences between the two systems are worth taking seriously, believes Mr Atkin. “A gain of just 0.2t/ha across a whole field can be enough to justify adapting cultivation strategy.” Rob acknowledges every year brings different weather and soil conditions, but the broader trend has been towards wetter winters and drier springs, as seen again this year.

A farm in Suffolk recently opened its doors to growers from across East Anglia to show how varieties perform in real-world situations and help inform decisions about what to grow next season.

The 1,600 ha Dennington Hall Farms is one of Limagrain UK’s demonstration farms, that is trialling a range of new and existing cereal and oilseed varieties across a range of scenarios within a productive, commercial, regenerative farming setting.

Trials this year include a field-scale comparison of 13 LG winter wheat varieties across three different establishment techniques, plus the latest spring barley and oilseed rape varieties, and other trials examining how cover crops impact nutrient use efficiency in following cereals.

“When making varietal decisions, it is always useful to visit farms to see how varieties perform in different situations, soil types, rotational positions, cultivation techniques, and input regimes,” farm manager, Ryan McCormack said.

“With the LG demo farm, we’ve done exactly this, so that we, and other farmers, can see how crops are performing and make our own informed decisions, rather than relying on a manicured Recommended List. It’s all about picking the right variety for the right place.

“It’s also about understanding how resilient varieties are to our changing climate and disease pressures, as well as how much they might cost us to grow.”

Winter wheat focus

While Dennington Hall Farms has a diverse 12-year rotation, winter wheat remains the cornerstone, and is a key part of the LG trials, which include new varieties such as LG Defiance and LG Challenger, RL candidates, and established names, such as Crusoe.

All 13 varieties in this year’s trial have been established across three different cultivation systems within the same field, including direct drilling, minimum tillage, and plough-based approaches.

Limagrain Cereal crops on trial at Dennington Hall Farms

Anecdotal evidence from earlier this season suggested that establishment of all varieties was generally not as good in the plough-based system, possibly because soil had dried out more with the extra disturbance last autumn, Mr McCormack said. However, numbers of volunteers appeared to be lower where ground was ploughed.

By June, there was little observable difference between cultivation techniques, but all plots will be taken to harvest to see if there are any notable differences in yield.

Tackling yellow rust

Given the changes to Yr15 resistance over the past year, yellow rust has moved up the agenda for many growers when choosing varieties, yet Mr McCormack showed it was possible to stay on top of the disease with a relatively low input approach, provided growers got in early to prevent rust getting established.

For him, that meant using tebuconazole at T0, followed by cost-effective fungicides at T1, T2 and T3 where necessary.

Limagrain’s arable technical manager, Ron Granger, agreed that early rust control was vital, especially where juvenile plant resistance is not available in a variety. However, he pointed out that some varieties had held off yellow rust better later in the season once adult resistance kicked in post growth stage 37.

“The speed of early rust development in different varieties is something that should be looked at more closely by the industry, as it is evident this season that some varieties surprised us on how late rust developed in them compared with previous years. We still have a lot to learn, and our pathologist is certainly being kept busy this season.”

Ron Granger and Heather Oldfield discussing yellow rust resistance at the Limagrain demo farm day at Dennington Hall Farms

Mr Granger urged growers not to discount any variety just because of revisions to its yellow rust rating, especially when other favourable characteristics remained unchanged. “Take LG Typhoon, for example, yes you have to watch yellow rust more closely given the Yr15 changes, but it’s still got fantastic Septoria resistance, has the agronomics to suit wider-row direct drilling situations, and is still a true early drilling variety.”

Spring barley opportunities

Several spring barley varieties were being demonstrated at Dennington Hall Farms, both with and without a preceding cover crop. Varieties included LG Diablo, LG Aquarius, LG Mermaid, and RL dual use candidate, LG Dynamo.

“We’re quite excited about LG Dynamo,” Mr Granger said. “It raises the bar for yield in a dual use variety, and has good disease resistance and specific weight. It’s performing well in England and Scotland, so we’re working closely with end users.”

Likewise, there was strong interest in LG Aquarius, which as a ‘high DP’ (diastatic power) and higher nitrogen (1.75-2%) variety, was ideally suited to distilling for the blended whisky market, according to Gary Mills, seed manager at Scotgrain Agriculture, and Bairds Malt grain coordinator.

Growers enjoying the crop trials tour at the Limagrain demonstration day

“It’s consistently been our top-performing variety in micromalting tests over the past three years,” he said.

“In the past, high DP varieties have often been 10% off the best varieties in terms of yield, which can make some growers more reluctant to grow them, even with a large premium. But LG Aquarius narrows that gap considerably, and still commands a premium.”

Mr Mills said the blended whisky market had not been as badly affected by the recent economic downturn as other distilling sectors, with demand actually increasing. “So, we hope LG Aquarius will be there to help fill a gap in the market.”

Other areas of interest at Dennington Hall Farm:

Oilseed rape – Six LG oilseed rape varieties are being trialed this year, including LG Avenger – the only variety with cabbage stem flea beetle resilience on the AHDB RL, and current holder of the world record yield – LG Adapt, LG Armada, LG Adeline, Magelan and LG Academic.

Wildfarmed wheat five-way blend, including Crusoe and other Group 1 and 2 varieties – 50 ha is in the ground this year to learn how to manage crops under the Wildfarmed criteria, which include the need for a summer catch crop, no insecticides or fungicides, and limits to the amount of fertiliser that can be applied at any one time. “If we can achieve our budget yield of 7 t/ha, the crop could deliver a margin of £1,650/ha. I’d consider increasing the area, but we need to learn how to manage these crops before doing so,” Mr McCormack said.

Oilseed rape varieties on trial at Dennington Hall Farms

Commenting on the work at the LG demo farm, Limagrain’s cereal product manager, Heather Oldfield said: “As breeders, it’s important for us to understand how our varieties perform at scale, so that information can be fed back into the breeding programme to help us make improvements going forward.

“We often do that with the supply chain, such as maltsters or millers, where we get a lot of feedback that helps us develop varieties to supply those markets to the best of our ability. What we don’t always get is the really detailed information back from farms, such as why a variety performs better in certain situations.

“With farm profitability where it is, it’s our job to consider the full picture and see where we can lend a hand to growers by developing varieties that are fit for the future.”

Sustainable nitrogen use

Dennington Hall Farms is one of two farms taking part in the Defra-funded ADOPT trial, Roots of Change (ROC), looking at whether cover crops can help reduce reliance on artificial fertiliser in cereals destined for premium markets, namely Crusoe and LG Lotus winter wheat, plus LG Aquarius and LG Diablo spring malting barley.

Both the wheat and barley fields have been split into four areas, to compare how each variety performs under two cultivation approaches (low disturbance subsoiler or ploughing), with and without a catch/cover crop and bi-cropping with beans.

“We want to better understand the amount and timing of when nitrogen and other nutrients are released by these cover and companion crops,” said NIAB’s project lead, Lydia Smith. “We know there is more immediate mineralisation of nitrogen after ploughing, but generally, there is a better outcome financially from reduced tillage, which is also better for soil health.”

Mr McCormack noted that wheat grown with a bean bi-crop after a summer catch crop generally looked less stressed than the area with no catch/bi-crop during the dry conditions this spring, possibly due to some benefit from extra nitrogen being released once the beans were terminated.

In the spring barley trial, soil assessments also showed improved soil structure and higher worm counts in the cover cropped area compared with no cover crop, Dr Smith noted.

Again, both trials would be taken to harvest, with results published at the end of the project.

• Farm Facts: Dennington Hall Farms, East Suffolk

  – Family-run 1,600 ha heavy land farm
  – Recently transitioned to a regenerative arable system across 1,200 ha
  – Mainly owned – 100 ha arable on FBT and 200 ha contract farming agreement
  – Commitment to sustainability and stewardship – focus on building soil health
  – 12-year rotation in 12 blocks of 100ha
  – Cropping includes winter wheat (mainly Group 4s for local feed markets), winter and spring barley (for malting), oilseed rape, spring oats, wheat blend trial, Wildfarmed spring wheat blend, beans, mustard, vining peas, sugar beet, cover and catch crops (grazed by a flying flock of sheep brought in over winter)
  – 60 Red Poll suckler cattle

Cabbage stem flea beetle has been a big factor behind the decline in oilseed rape area over recent years, but one Lincolnshire grower is using varietal resilience to return to the crop after a three-year break.

David Bristow, Lincolnshire

David Bristow of the 650 ha Stourton Estate on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, stopped growing oilseed rape in 2022/23, after several seasons spent battling flea beetle, but decided to give it another go after hearing about the CSFB resilience characteristics of LG Avenger (see panel).

“When our seed supplier United Oilseeds told us about the resilience characteristics, it was one of the main reasons we were prepared to give oilseed rape another go,” says Mr Bristow. “But, it’s not the only reason. LG Avenger really has got the whole package; it’s a well balanced, good variety, that we’ve had no issues with growing so far.”

Rapid establishment

This season, Mr Bristow has 52 ha of LG Avenger in the ground, sown after winter barley in the last week of August. Stubbles were cultivated with a low disturbance subsoiler before drilling with the farm’s Horsch Avatar at 2.6 kg/ha, alongside a companion crop of buckwheat (5 kg/ha) and a surface dressing of 150 kg/ha of DAP fertiliser.

“We did have to wait until there was some moisture before drilling, but once it went in, the LG Avenger was up and away really quickly. The drill worked really well, with very even seed depth, which resulted in excellent establishment.

“The crop grew past the cotyledon stage so rapidly, I don’t think we saw any of the classic shot-holing last autumn, although pressure was generally fairly low.”

Larval assessments in 10 stem samples collected this spring support this, with just one larvae per stem found. “They were all very small, so I suspect they were laid fairly late in the season,” he notes.

The lack of CSFB damage comes despite no insecticides being used on the farm for the past six years, with a large area now signed up to the SFI no insecticide option (CIPM4).

Marginal gains

Mr Bristow is well aware that CSFB remains a threat to oilseed rape, so is keen to do all he can to mitigate the risks when coming back into the crop. Below are some of the steps he has taken:

• Selecting a CSFB resilient variety, LG Avenger
• Waiting for adequate moisture before drilling to aid rapid establishment
• Sowing with a companion crop to ‘mine’ soil phosphate and help disguise the OSR
• Applying DAP fertiliser at drilling to boost establishment
• Leaving taller stubble in the preceding barley crop to lessen the brown soil colour that CSFB are more attracted to
• Focus on achieving uniform seed depth and even emergence
• Applying an early spring multi-nutrient (polysulphate) fertiliser and nitrogen in mid-February to boost spring growth
• Two spring fungicides applied at mid-stem extension and mid-flowering, plus micronutrients at the earlier timing
• Close monitoring of pest and disease levels in-season, and potential CSFB migration risks to next year’s crop

“Individually, they’re all quite small things, but together they do all add up to make a bigger difference,” says Mr Bristow.

Added insurance

LG Avenger’s strong disease scores and pod shatter resistance provide another layer of insurance for protecting yield potential, Mr Bristow says.

“This season we’ve only applied two fungicides in the spring, and nothing last autumn, as the combination of LG Avenger’s phoma resistance and our careful disease monitoring was enough. Crops just never reached the threshold for treatment.”

The crop’s first spring fungicide was based on 200g/ha of tebuconazole, which Mr Bristow says helps to encourage compensatory growth lower down the plant. “It’s not about managing crop height, it’s to encourage crops to branch out more.”

LG Avenger’s pod shatter resistance is another trait Mr Bristow values, especially as the tractor and trailed sprayer used for pre-harvest desiccation lack the ground clearance of self-propelled machines. “Given the pod shatter resistance, we probably won’t use a pod sticker this season.”

Mr Bristow concludes; “The crop’s looked really strong throughout this season so far, with lots of pods forming during flowering, so if it carries all of those through to harvest, I hope it will do very well. We’d like to get at least 4-4.5 t/ha, maybe more ideally.

“I’m confident that we’ll be growing LG Avenger again next season, with a slightly larger area of 59 ha planned.”

LG Avenger

• High yielding hybrid with CSFB resilience characteristics
• High oil content (46.5%)
• Pod shatter resistance
• Turnip Yellows Virus resistance
• Strong disease package, including a light leaf spot rating of 7 and sclerotinia tolerance

CSFB Resilience explained

Florentina Petrescu, Oilseed Rape Product Manager

LG CSFB Resilience is “a novel genetic approach that tackles CSFB at key crop stages, as part of an effective integrated pest management strategy on farm”, explains Florentina Petrescu, Limagrain UK OSR Product Manager.

Resilient varieties feature a series of characteristics that make them better adapted to escaping damage during two crucial periods in the autumn and spring, so it is not just about a single genetic trait, she says. These characteristics include:

1. Strong autumn dynamic growth to help developing crops escape the early “shot holing” damage caused by adult flea beetles feeding on cotyledons and first leaves, which can result in significant leaf loss and complete crop failure in extreme cases
2. Rapid stem elongation in the spring to improve the plant’s resilience to damage caused by larvae mining into petioles and stems
3. A capacity in some varieties (e.g. LG Avenger) to limit the number of larvae that develop within the stems – the exact reasons for this are still being identified
4. Reduced CSFB larvae damage severity – e.g. stunted, bushy plants.

Changing from a trusted variety to a new one can sometimes require a leap of faith, but for Northumberland farmer Andrew Reed, of East Ancroft Farm, it is a move that seems to be paying off.

Andrew Reed, East Ancroft Farm, Northumberland

This season, Mr Reed, who farms 800 ha of mixed cropping across four farms near Berwick-upon-Tweed, swapped from proven oilseed rape variety, Aurelia, to Recommended List newcomer LG Adapt, sowing 100 ha after winter barley last August.

“Aurelia has been a superb variety for us over the past three years, but when the seed wasn’t available from our usual source last autumn, we decided to give LG Adapt a go on the advice of our agronomist, and data from Limagrain trial sites.

“I was looking for the next step forward in varieties, and so far, it all looks fantastic. It established really well, and has come through the winter and spring looking clean and superb. If anyone has a better 200-acre block of oilseed rape, I will shake their hand.

“I’m really looking forward to harvest,” he continues. “Last year’s Aurelia, which was grown on a heavier block of land, came in at 5.5 t/ha, so hopefully we can get close to, or exceed that.

“Oilseed rape looks like it could be the breadwinner this harvest, followed by first wheats.”

Looking beyond yield

While yield potential is obviously a big driver when choosing any new variety, and LG Adapt sits among the best at 106% on the 2026/27 AHDB Recommended List, other factors are also important to Mr Reed.

Disease resistance is one of those, and here too LG Adapt scores well, with good stem health, and Turnip Yellows Virus (TuYV) resistance.

Mr Reed says no fungicide was needed last autumn, while this spring, his LG Adapt received two main fungicides, one with additional growth regulation and foliar micronutrients at stem extension in March, and another at mid-flowering in late April.

Mr Reed also values LG Adapt’s pod shatter resistance, which can be a particularly valuable trait when growing oilseed rape on some of the more exposed fields close to the east coast, where significant issues with seed loss due to windy conditions were experienced six years ago.

Desiccation is also carried out with a trailed sprayer that lacks the ground clearance of a self-propelled machine, so pod shatter resistance should help to limit any tramline losses too, he notes.

All being well, Mr Reed plans to grow a similar area of LG Adapt again next season. “I don’t like to change varieties too much, as it’s good to learn how we can push them to maximise their potential on our farm. We had Aurelia for three years, and I’d like to think that we’ll have LG Adapt for at least another three years, if not more.”

LG Adapt at East Ancroft Farm

• 100 ha sown after winter barley on 10-20 August
• Seed broadcast behind a Simba SL cultivator, then rolled
• Liquid starter fertiliser also applied
• Autumn – herbicides applied in September and October, plus insecticide, and micronutrients
• Spring – two fungicides applied at stem extension and mid-flowering, plus foliar micronutrients with the earlier spray
• Variable P&K applied early March
• 245 kg N/ha applied in three splits

LG Adapt

• High-yielding hybrid oilseed rape variety (106)
• Highest oil content on the Recommended List 2026/27 (47%)
• Consistently strong performance across all regions and seasons
• Good resistance to stem based diseases
• TuYV (Turnip Yellows Virus) resistance
• Pod shatter resistance

Read more on LG ADAPT by clicking here!