There is now more positivity than ever for oilseed rape as a crop around the UK, as 2025 was a much stronger year for it.

Harvest results indicate average yields have increased to 3.76 t/ha for 2025 harvest – a significant increase on the 2.8 t/ha recorded in 2024.

Florentina Petrescu, Oilseed Rape Product Manager

The recovery comes along with new confidence in the crop and improved establishment across much of the country, with 2026 crops looking very promising.

Market conditions have also provided a welcome boost. Commodity prices were on average £20-£40/tonne ahead of last year, and are holding strong currently, helping farmers restore margins and strengthen the crop’s position in rotations.

Area figures confirm this trend, with an average of 14% increase on last year’s grown area.

Seed market dynamics also underline the crop’s renewed strength. Despite heavy competition, LG varieties have maintained good market share, keeping LG firmly in the number 1 position for this crop group. This has been boosted by the introduction of LG Adapt – the highest yielding variety with pod shatter resistance, and the only cabbage stem flea beetle resilient variety in the market – LG Avenger.

2025 harvest has also made a first for LG oilseed rape varieties, as Lincolnshire farmer, Tim Lamyman, has broken the world record for oilseed rape with LG Avenger, achieving a massive 7.52 t/ha crop.

LG Adapt is making headlines of its own, with it leading the field for oil content in the UK in 2025, having the highest oil yield out of over 35 varieties tested – giving farmers an advantage for higher oil bonuses.

Varieties like LG Armada, LG Academic and LG Adeline, are holding strong, with good performance on the AHDB 26/27 RL, showing consistency of the varieties across regions and seasons. This year’s list also marks the introduction of LG Calvin CL – the highest yielding Clearfield® variety on the RL.

Overall, the data suggests that oilseed rape is regaining ground. With improved genetics, stronger industry collaboration and a more favourable market, the crop is once again demonstrating its value as a resilient and profitable break crop for UK farmers.

Florentina Petrescu

Oilseed Rape Product Manager, Limagrain UK

Welcome to your LG Conservation & Gamecover Crops Brochure

Download the new guide now!

In this catalogue, you’ll find a comprehensive range of mixtures designed for soil health and nutrient management, such as herbal leys and legume fallows, crops for integrated pest management,
such as flower rich margins and companion crops, crops for farmland wildlife, such as winter bird food mixtures, and crops for field margins and buffer strips.

We hope you find this brochure a valuable resource, as you identify the options and crops that best suit your business needs. If you’d like further guidance, our team is always available to help you choose mixtures that will work best for your farm.

Take a look at our Essential Guide to Conservation & Gamecover Crops today.

Maize now has the potential to outperform many alternative break crops in gross margin terms whilst offering arable farmers significant rotational benefits such as improved grass weed control, according to experts taking part in a recent Limagrain Field Seeds webinar, attended by farmers from across the UK.

Speakers pointed to the growing demand for anaerobic digester (AD) feedstocks and the high value of grain maize as evidence of market-led opportunities for growers.

They also highlighted the accelerated plant breeding progress that is allowing increased yields of a higher quality crop within a shorter growing window, which is giving more farmers the opportunity to follow maize successfully with winter wheat, for example.

“Potential returns for arable farmers in many parts of England are attractive, with maize offering around two or three times the gross margin of spring oats or spring beans,” said James Webster-Rusk, Senior Agribusiness Analysist for The Anderson Centre.

James Webster Rusk is confident that maize will deliver stronger margins than other spring crops

“The market is there, with growing demand for AD feedstocks and many plants looking to replenish depleted stocks in 2026. With regards to grain maize, we currently import 2.5 million tonnes a year, so there are opportunities to replace at least some of this with homegrown crops, and also to grow maize on contract for crimping, wholecrop or forage.

“In terms of rotational benefits, the different herbicide chemistry used for maize tends to help with the control of grass weeds, including blackgrass, and – being a spring drilled crop with a relatively late harvest – it offers a helpful spread in workloads.”

Whilst maize has historically been associated in some areas with difficult harvesting conditions and the risk of soil damage, speakers agreed on the modern-day potential for the crop to be environmentally beneficial.

“Breeding advances within the last ten years now mean we are growing high yielding crops of maize that mature in a much shorter growing window,” said Limagrain’s Richard Camplin.

“Earlier harvests are most certainly desirable in terms of soil health, not only avoiding structural damage but also allowing the establishment of a following crop that will use up surplus nutrients and prevent soil erosion.

“With the emergence of specialist grain maize options like LG 31.160 and very early maturity high yielders such as Harmony, breeding programmes are delivering varieties that work well within rotations and are suited to helping arable farmers respond to the market opportunities.”

Maize in Practice

Leicestershire arable and poultry farmer Will Oliver said, as part of his practical overview, that grain maize grown within his arable rotation now rivals winter wheat as the main crop. “We have a ready market for grain maize, selling to local poultry units, and it’s a crop that we find fits well into the rotation,” he said. “There’s a positive for soil health, because of the organic matter that’s being incorporated and reduced traffic when growing it, and it fits well within our SFI agreements. “Winter wheat usually performs well enough following maize, but I’d accept a lower margin in return for the wider benefits that it brings to the rotation. “It’s important to factor in drying costs when growing grain maize, but earlier maturing varieties are helping to ensure more of the moisture is lost in the field.”

Leicestershire farmer Will Oliver explains why grain maize has become a key crop on his farm

In their summing up, speakers reiterated the opportunities for maize as a break crop in the arable rotation, but reinforced the importance of seeking out markets in advance and growing varieties from the latest BSPB/NIAB Descriptive List best suited to specific farm conditions and the planned end use.     

LG Beowulf remains a reliable, high-yielding Group 4 winter wheat for UK growers, provided crops are actively managed to prevent yellow rust.

The variety continues to deliver strong on-farm performance, combining high yield potential, stiff straw, good septoria resistance, excellent grain quality and OWBM resistance, says Ron Granger of Limagrain Field Seeds UK.

LG Beowulf’s key strength is its flexibility – and it is this that attracts growers around the country to the variety; it performs consistently across all UK regions and soil types, from light to heavy land, and can be drilled early, at normal timings or late. It is equally suited to first, second or continuous wheat situations.

While LG Beowulf, like many commercial varieties, is now susceptible to the newer yellow rust strain Yr15, careful monitoring and timely fungicide use will allow it to continue to perform at its best.

Early disease control is critical, with a robust, protective fungicide programme using a range of actives throughout the season. A T0, or even pre-T0, spray is recommended as a security measure, with tebuconazole providing a cost-effective option either alone or in combination. Where yellow rust is detected, rates should be increased to eradicate infection quickly.

With crops emerging from a mild winter carrying high biomass and reports of yellow rust already appearing in some fields, growers are urged to monitor crops closely, track weather conditions and make full use of spray windows to stay ahead of disease.  

Spring barley will always be a preferred spring crop for many growers, as it is an established crop of the rotation and offers wide flexibility over sowing date, and generally delivers an economical return on investment.

Although contracts for malting barley may be restricted this season, there will still be contracts offered, so it’s worth asking around in your vicinity or directly with your buying groups to see what’s available.

If malting contracts are not available, I would suggest that you have two options – firstly grow a dual use malting variety that the industry recognises, which may offer an opportunity if a demand becomes available for malting crops, after harvest 2026.

Or secondly, grow for out and out high yield potential, as this may give you a better return on investment, not only from the grain tonnage but more importantly from the straw, as there is a definite shortage of straw due to the testing season of 2025.

Limagrain’s work suggests that keeping and maintaining tiller number is essential for both grain and straw yield and this can be done in a number of ways. An earlier drilling date in a good seedbed with rising soil and air temperatures is always beneficial for any spring crop – the earlier you can get a crop established the better the opportunity for a crop to ride the stress of a dry spring, from better rooting and tiller number.

Nitrogen inputs and timing are certainly very important along with macro and micronutrients – these are key inputs to get the crop established and maintain tiller numbers for achieving final high yield potential. It’s important that spring crops are not limited for nutrient recourses, as a halt in plant growth usually results in a drop in yield potential.

Importantly, spring barley has proved itself as the ‘go to’ crop to use when blackgrass has become an issue on farm; certainly in the southeast of England, on many farms, it has now become the tool of choice along with other factors to help control blackgrass populations. In this scenario spring barley is usually drilled later to allow for either delayed cultivations, or herbicide control and in many cases, these are used jointly to ensure a reduced blackgrass population.

Drilling later has its dangers, especially around the erratic seasons we now appear to have, but generally seed rates need to be raised once you get past the end of March to compensate for the lack of time for tillering – basically your increasing tiller number per square meter by increasing seed rate with late sowings, to ensure maximum tiller number is achievable for maximum yield potential.

There’s an excellent opportunity to establish oilseed rape and capitalise on this potentially profitable break crop.

Oilseed rape was a stand-out performer on many farms this harvest, with Lincolnshire grower Tim Lamyman even setting a new world record yield with his 10 September-sown crop of LG Avenger.

Many growers will have already drilled 2025/26 crops, but for those that have not, there is still time to get oilseed rape in, providing conditions are suitable, says Limagrain Field Seeds senior trials officer, Ryan Kemp.

“In our trials on the Lincolnshire Wolds, we’ve drilled oilseed rape right up to the first week in October in some years, and still produced decent crops. The UK generally doesn’t really see extremely cold winters anymore, so, providing there is still sufficient warmth and moisture in the soil, and you can get crops to the 6 to 9 true leaf stage before winter, they should survive pretty well.”

Indeed, later drilling can be advantageous in helping to miss early cabbage stem flea beetle activity, potentially reducing the classic ‘shot-holing’ damage caused by adults, and also reducing larvae pressure in spring. Smaller plants also tend to be at lower risk from foliar diseases, such as light leaf spot, compared with earlier-sown, dense canopies, he notes.

Rapid establishment is key

Strong, fast, establishment is central to the success of any oilseed rape crop though, particularly when sowing later in the season, and Mr Kemp identifies five important steps to help achieve this:

1. Select the right variety
All LG hybrid varieties have very good hybrid autumn vigour and are well suited for later drilling

2. Wait for moisture
Adequate soil moisture at drilling, and crucially, 10 days after drilling, is vital for rapid oilseed rape germination and establishment

3. Establish crops well
The optimum establishment technique will vary for individual situations and soil types, but whatever system is used, maximising seed-to-soil contact and conserving moisture with adequate seedbed consolidation, is key. Remove any compaction prior to drilling, to avoid compromising root growth, but only do what is necessary, to help conserve moisture and protect natural soil structure. Strip tillage systems that only disturb a narrow band of soil can work very well for oilseed rape

4. Use a placement fertiliser
Placing phosphate and a small amount of nitrogen fertiliser with seed at drilling is a very effective way of stimulating strong root development and crop establishment. Liquid and microgranular products are available, so discuss the best options with your agronomist or advisor

5. Control weeds early
Any pre-emergence herbicides should be applied as soon as possible after drilling to minimise early weed competition.

“Growing any crop, oilseed rape in particular, can sometimes be like a roll of the dice, so you have to be prepared to invest a bit of time and money to make it work,” says Mr Kemp.

“If you do, oilseed rape is still very profitable in the right situations. It can yield brilliantly, as we have seen on-farm and in trials, this year, where there have been some really good yields. We’ve had up to 6 t/ha in some of our trial plots, which is fantastic, and at those sort of yields, oilseed rape makes a really valuable addition to the rotation.”

Stand-out performer

Staffordshire farmer, Rob Atkin, says oilseed rape has been the “crop of the year” on the 380 ha mixed family farm.

His 14 ha of LG Armada yielded around 5 t/ha (2 t/acre), well above the farm average of nearer 4.2 t/ha (1.7 t/acre), and with relatively high oil content. “For us, it was one of the best years for growing oilseed rape for a long time.”

The two fields both followed winter barley, one drilled on 5th August, the other on the 25th. “The later-sown field did struggle a bit with pigeon damage last autumn, but other than that, there wasn’t a lot to choose between them. They established quickly and looked well all through winter, and into spring/summer,” he notes.

Mr Atkin has increased his oilseed rape area to 60 ha for 2025/26, split 50:50 between LG Armada and the cabbage stem flea beetle-resilient variety, LG Avenger. “Although CSFB pressure was very low last year, and we haven’t seen much activity so far this year, it can be an issue here, so it’s another tool to help us reduce risk.”

Reasons to grow OSR

• Potentially very profitable break crop
• Provides a true break in cereal-dominant rotations
• Spreads workloads during busy periods, particularly harvest and drilling
• Facilitates an early entry for following crops
• Allows alternative chemistry to be used for weed control

Despite a season of prolonged drought and challenging yellow rust conditions, Brett Askew finds LG Typhoon delivers reliable yields and flexibility for early drilling.

Having grown LG Typhoon for several years, he has been pleased with its performance and plans to continue growing it this coming season.

Based at Grange Farm, Kibblesworth near Newcastle, Mr Askew likes to drill early to get ahead of changeable weather conditions, which is a key reason LG Typhoon is such a good fit on his farm. The 81ha he planted for Harvest 2025 has done well despite a challenging season, proving itself a mainstay variety for him.

Brett Askew

Mr Askew’s first 40ha block of LG Typhoon was drilled on 2nd September, while the later block was planted between 25th-30th September. Usually, he would use a Claydon TerraStar to chop the surface tilth ahead of drilling however, last autumn was so wet that he ploughed everything.

“The earlier block of LG Typhoon went in behind a failed oilseed rape crop which we had not redrilled, so it was ploughed, pressed and planted with our Claydon drill. We then broke off to harvest our spring crops, but two weeks of heavy rain meant we could not press the second block and therefore decided to plant it with a combination drill which we could not roll – so that was not ideal.”

His earlier drilled crop was able to establish a better root, allowing it to access the nutrients it needed, which he believes helped it to resist the challenge diseases, particularly from yellow rust, this season.

“The earlier LG Typhoon had more biomass going into winter and the larger plants showed very little signs of yellow rust.

Over the past few years Mr Askew has not applied a T0 because LG Typhoon has often grown away from yellow rust however, this season it was clear an early fungicide was necessary. “You can’t mess around with disease and need to keep on top of it, but an early application of tebuconazole was all that was necessary to control it and we didn’t see any yellow rust after that.”

At T1 he applied Vimoy (isoflucypram), Kestrel (prothioconazole + tebuconazole) and folpet, followed by a reduced rate of Miravis Plus (pydiflumetofen) at T2 due to the dry conditions. “The aim was to retain the green leaf as long as possible, but the heat and dryness had an impact.”

Mr Askew applied nutrition, including liquid N and food waste digestate, on some fields to give the crops a boost, with 210kgN/ha applied in total.

With almost no rain between February and June, yields on the farm have taken a hit. “On average it’ll be a poor harvest,” says Mr Askew. “Typically we have achieved 8.2-8.7t/ha over the past five years; this year our LG Typhoon averaged 8-8.5t/ha, with fields varying from 6-11t/ha however, specific weights have been sky high, with the variety achieving over 80kg/hl.”

One element of LG Typhoon that Mr Askew has been really pleased with is that even during a wet year he does not have to chase it, having found it to be very clean. “Alongside its position in the early drilling slot, this is why I have 15t ready to plant for the coming season, which will go in right after oilseed rape and oats. Sometimes we do not have the spray days, or our spray contractor cannot get to us when we need him, so not having to chase the variety is really important.

“The consistent performance of LG Typhoon over the past few years, even when it has had less than ideal conditions or we have had to be flexible with drilling date is why I will continue to grow it,” he concludes.

Exactly a decade after breaking the world record oilseed rape yield, Lincolnshire farmer Tim Lamyman has defied the exceptionally dry season to bring in a record breaking crop.

An 8ha field of September-sown LG Avenger delivered an impressive seed yield of 7.52t/ha – breaking the unofficial world record of 7.2t/ha, set in 2019 by Richard Budd.

Of the 85ha of oilseed rape grown at Worlaby Farms in 2024/25, 80% was put down to LG Avenger, sown between the 10^th and 20^th of September. “All fields looked phenomenal throughout the season, with very little to choose between the sowing dates,” Tim comments.

“It’s the first year I’ve grown LG Avenger and I absolutely love the variety. It has fantastic autumn vigour, which was one of the main reasons for choosing it. We wanted a variety we can sow later to help mitigate flea beetle risk, and one that gets up and away quickly to establish a strong canopy going into the winter.”

Having worked with Limagrain Field Seeds UK and United Oilseeds to develop ways of mitigating cabbage stem flea beetle damage, Mr Lamyman is convinced that sowing a vigorous variety later, ideally after the 5-10 September, is the best way to avoid the worst of CSFB damage.

“Even though flea beetle pressure wasn’t particularly high last autumn, I can see that in a bad year, the vigour of LG Avenger will help get through those issues. If you’re later drilling and you’ve got that vigour, you’ve got a much better chance of getting a crop established than if you’ve drilled it earlier in the season.”

All of Mr Lamyman’s oilseed rape ground is usually prepared using the farm’s Väderstad TopDown and Carrier cultivators, before sowing with a 6m Väderstad Rapid drill. “Because we are drilling later and have a lot of stones in our soil, we prefer a higher seed rate of 4 kg/ha; equivalent to around 65 seeds/m², to make sure we establish a good, thick crop.”

Building on solid foundations

Supporting the vigour of LG Avenger with a comprehensive nutrition programme is essential to building a big biomass crop and high yield potential, Mr Lamyman believes.

“It’s a big, bold plant, which you’re making grow even faster, so it’s all beneficial. We’ve seen in the past that going down the route of shorter, low biomass oilseed rape simply hasn’t worked, so in my view, the bigger the crop, the higher the yield.”

At Worlaby Farms, that nutrition programme centres around a range of products from Bionature UK Ltd, designed to support plant health and soil biology at different stages of the season.

This begins at the 2-4 leaf stage, with an application of Leodita & Delta. Delta is a stabilized NH2 Nitrogen foliar application. Leodita is an organic soil improver that supports strong root development, and is faster-acting than the standard DAP and autumn nitrogen approach, Mr Lamyman says.

“Indeed, trials on the farm this year showed that within four days of applying Leodita, there was 40-60% more crop biomass compared with oilseed rape that received DAP. That biomass difference didn’t stop all the way through the autumn.”

“This is followed with foliar feeds in the autumn and spring, including a calcium-based product at flowering, to improve seed set.”

“Growing a fast, vigorous variety like LG Avenger, with this kind of nutrition programme over the top, gives you the ‘shield’ you need to get a late-drilled crop established very quickly in the autumn and probably gives as much biomass as something drilled three weeks earlier.”

Managing the large biomass crop has not been an issue, he adds. “It’s a really well structured variety, which also has the benefit of excellent pod shatter resistance.”

Disease control has also been fairly straightforward, based around a standard programme including tebuconazole, prothioconazole, azoxystrobin and one SDHI fungicide. “It’s nothing very expensive, yet crops have stayed really clean throughout.”

Given the exceptional performance of LG Avenger this season, Mr Lamyman is sowing it again across his entire 90ha of oilseed rape next season; a decision he had already made before crops were harvested, given how well they looked.

LG Avenger

• High-yielding hybrid OSR from Limagrain Field Seeds UK
• First to be commercially available in the UK with LG’s CSFB resilience characteristic
• Exceptional autumn and spring vigour
• ‘Fully loaded’ resistance to Turnip Yellows Virus, pod shatter, and RLM7 phoma
• Very good disease resistance, rated 7 for light leaf spot and sclerotinia tolerance.

With our climate changing, disease pathogens evolving and the chemical armoury shrinking, the goalposts for breeding new wheat varieties are constantly shifting. To see how one breeder is rising to these challenges, four leading growers put their questions to Limagrain Field Seeds senior wheat breeder, Phil Tailby.

How can modern breeding techniques help meet future challenges?

Technology such as Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) and Genomic Selection has been around for several years, but is now delivering significant benefits to the varieties coming through, says Mr Tailby.

Limagrain Wheat Breeder Phil Tailby on breeding new wheat varieties

“MAS gives us the ability to select individuals with the specific genes that farmers want, such as Septoria or yellow rust resistance, very early in the breeding cycle, and do so far more intensively and efficiently than in the past.

“Genomic selection also allows us to model the more complex quantitative traits, such as yield, that come from multiple genes interacting with each other and the environment.

“Over the past 15 years, we have genotyped material to check for 20,000-30,000 markers to build a genetic profile of each potential variety.

In addition, everything is measured in the field (phenotyped), from height, yield, lodging, spec weight, Hagberg, etc. We can then use statistical models to predict how crosses will perform in the field, based on a vast amount of actual data that is constantly being updated.”

How are you tackling changing pathogens, such as yellow rust?

The evolution of yellow rust in recent years poses challenges for all breeders, and means new varieties need multiple ‘stacked’ resistance genes, to be more resilient, says Mr Tailby.

“We have the technology to map resistances, so we can identify those that work, and select the lines with the genes we want to use in combination together within any new variety. If you have the genetic marker, there’s a very high probability of having that gene as well.

“We can do this for any traits we have markers for, whether that’s yellow rust, brown rust, Septoria, or anything else.”

When people say a variety ‘breaks down’, is it the gene or the disease that’s changing?

“Pathogens change, genes don’t,” explains Mr Tailby.

“Resistance genes generally work by recognising the pathogen, then deploying a resistance mechanism of some sort. A hypersensitive response, for example, means when a spore lands on a plant, the plant recognises it, then kills the tissue around the spore to stop it spreading.

“As a pathogen replicates, it makes copies of its RNA/DNA, but it’s never a perfect system; there are always some errors. If, by chance, one of those errors happens to be in the genes that make up the sequence that codes for the protein the plant recognises, plants may no longer recognise the pathogen.”

As a breeder, what do you think about blending varieties?

Mr Tailby recognises there can be benefits to variety blends in some situations on farm, providing varieties are chosen carefully and end-user acceptance is there.

“Every variety will have a weakness of some sort, whether that’s blindingly obvious (e.g. straw strength or disease resistance), or less obvious, such as a particular weakness to a subtle abiotic stress.

By growing a blend, you are effectively ‘diluting’ the risk of any one variety having a poor year.

A variety with lower resistance to Septoria, for example, may do better in a blend with more resistant varieties, because there is less inoculum around.”

To learn more about our wheat varieties, click here

LG Legends

In a world of shifting climates, evolving disease pressures, and a shrinking chemical toolbox, breeding new wheat varieties has never been more complex, or more critical. Through open dialogue with experienced growers, Limagrain are ensuring that breeding innovation remains grounded in the realities of modern farming. As this Q&A shows, collaboration between breeders and farmers is key to developing resilient, high-performing varieties that are fit for the future.

This Q&A is taken from a Limagrain Field Seeds discussion with four ‘LG Legends’ growers; Ryan McCormack, Farm Manager at Dennington Hall Farms in Suffolk, Luke Palmer, of F.C Palmer & Sons near Cambridge, Rob Atkin of Atkin Farms in Staffordshire, and Cambridgeshire/ Bedfordshire contractor, Matt Redman.

As unpredictable harvest weather continues to test the resilience of UK farming, leading plant breeders, Limagrain Field Seeds UK is urging oilseed rape (OSR) growers to treat pod shatter resistance as a fundamental requirement when selecting varieties.

“By the time oilseed rape reaches maturity, virtually all production costs have been incurred,” explains Florentina Petrescu, UK Oilseed Rape Product Manager for the breeders.

“Protecting yield right through to the combine isn’t optional – it’s essential. Incorporating pod shatter resistance into variety choice is one of the most effective risk management tools available to growers today.”

“Unlike agronomic interventions that can be adjusted in-season, pod shatter resistance is built into the genetics of the plant,” says Mrs Petrescu. “This makes the decision at variety selection time absolutely critical.”

Understanding Pod Shatter

Pod shatter is an evolutionary seed dispersal mechanism in brassicas, but on farm, it can be triggered prematurely by high winds, rain, hail or machinery movement – leading to severe yield losses just days before harvest.

Not All Resistance is Equal

Limagrain conducts rigorous, laboratory-based tests to quantify pod shatter resistance (POSH) by measuring the physical force required to break open pods. Results consistently show wide performance differences between varieties, despite similar marketing claims.

“All of LG hybrids carry the pod shatter trait, and we benchmark them regularly against competitor varieties,” she says.

“The contrast was especially evident during the challenging harvest of 2023 – one of the wettest and windiest Julys on record. While many crops suffered heavy losses, Limagrain hybrids with strong pod shatter resistance emerged intact.”

A Grower’s Perspective: Managing Risk in the Borders

Northumberland farmer Richard Brewis of Woodhouse Farm, Alnwick, is firm in his belief that pod shatter resistance in the oilseed rape varieties he chooses to grow is indispensable.

His main risk is from high winds, rather than hail, and the approach is working well across his 60 hectares of OSR.

“For me, growing a pod shatter-resistant variety is a belt-and-braces strategy for growing a successful OSR crop,” he explains. “We like to aim for 5t/ha – hitting 4t/ha is acceptable – but that extra tonne could be the difference between seeds on the ground or in the trailer.”

When deciding what varieties to grow, he works closely with David Watson of Nickerson. Mr Watson’s advice is ‘why take the risk of losing crop to weather or physical damage to the crop if it’s not necessary’

“Ultimately, it means getting a valuable genetic trait without paying extra for it. Choosing a variety without pod shatter resistance at this point just seems reckless.”

This season, Mr Brewis is growing LG Wagner and LG Anarion, following past success with Limagrain’s hybrid, Aurelia, all of which offer the pod shatter resistance trait, along with other traits and agronomic benefits that he looks for, ranging from TuYV resistance to stiff straw and good Light Leaf Spot disease resistance.

LG Wagner is a hardy, high yielding variety suited for the north, with a growth habit suited to challenging growing conditions as well as offering an excellent disease package and pod shatter resistance. LG Anarion is a fully loaded, high yielding variety that also offers Clubroot resistance. It has very strong early vigour and exceptional winter hardiness which allows it to perform very strongly in areas where clubroot is endemic.

Mr Brewis complements the genetic resistance in the varieties with a pod sealant spray applied around 10 days prior to desiccation.

“Let’s face it he says, we are halfway to a good crop a week before harvest. We tend to go on with the pod stick about 10 days before desiccation as it is less brutal to the crop. The crop is lying forward when we come on with the roundup, so there is less damage to the standing plants and pods and it’s easier to pick up the tramlines,” he says.

He points out there is a practical time saving benefit to doing it this way: “It’s also easier to wash out straight pod stick and straight roundup than a mix, and mostly you can guarantee to do the pod stick in a oner since it’s not a pesticide so only one washout.”

Summary

Woodhouse Farm, 255 hectares

Rotation: wheat, winter oats, spring beans, oilseed rape, spring linseed

Key attributes for choosing an oilseed rape variety:

• High yielding
• Good oil content
• Pod Shatter
• TuYV
• Good Light Leaf Spot disease resistance
• Stiff straw

Learn more about Pod Shatter

Download LG Arable Guide for all the latest on our winter oilseed rape, wheat and barley varieties

Over the last few years the upfront costs and establishment challenges have made OSR a risky option, but with recent improvements in pest pressure, genetics and recently market prices, could OSR be making a comeback?

With SFI coming to a close and reports of lower CSFB larvae numbers from last autumn – the conditions are changing – and growers may be more inclined to return to what remains one of the most profitable break crops they can grow.

Beckii Gibbs, seed manager at United Oilseeds says: “A major positive has been the improvement in prices which have steadily strengthened over the past year, rising from an average of £370 per tonne in August 2024 to £405 per tonne for August 2025.

A Technical Crop Demands a Technical Approach

“With the market moving in the right direction and pest pressure easing, confidence in oilseed rape is beginning to rebuild. But those considering a return to OSR must still treat it as the technical crop it has become,” says Florentina Petrescu, oilseed rape product manager for plant breeders Limagrain Field Seeds UK.

“Integrated Pest Management strategies remain essential for OSR success,” she says.

Establishment Techniques That Work

Growers are seeing benefits from adapting cultivation methods, drilling into moist seedbeds, applying organic matter, and making use of companion or trap crops. Establishing OSR away from previous OSR fields also helps disrupt pest cycles and improves the chances of a strong, healthy crop.

However a key part of the success of the crop comes down to the importance of variety choice and Ms Petrescu believes this cannot be overstated.

Genetics Make the Difference

“Advances in oilseed rape breeding have delivered a new generation of hybrids with improved disease resistance, pod shatter protection, and greater resilience,” she notes.

“In the field, these genetic traits play out as a risk management strategy, by allowing the crop to meet its full gross output potential.

“LG Avenger is the result of our new methods of breeding oilseed rape varieties, which consider all limiting factors for crop development, including the threat from CSFB.

“It is the only variety with LG Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle Resilience on the 2025/26 AHDB Recommended List, alongside many other valuable characteristics, including high yield, pod shatter resistance, high oil content and a very good disease package, including a light leaf spot rating of 7 and sclerotinia tolerance,” she says.

Ms Petrescu notes the introduction of LG CSFB Resilience is the latest in a long line of developments that have helped improve yields in LG’s ‘fully loaded varieties’.

Fully loaded varieties include key traits such as POSH (pod shatter resistance), Stem Health, Sclero-Flex for sclerotinia tolerance, N-Flex for nitrogen efficiency, and robust TuYV resistance, which can reduce the need for aphid sprays.

LG Adapt, recommended across both the East/West and Northern Lists, boasting a gross output of 108%, also illustrates the benefit of growing a trait-loaded variety.

“Thanks to seventh-generation hybrid breeding, LG Adapt combines high yield potential with an exceptional trait package, including pod shatter resistance, TuYV resistance, RLM7, and Stem Health,” she says.

“Its adaptability across all regions of the UK, alongside excellent stem health and oil content of 46.4%, make it a compelling option for growers wanting to manage risk and maximise returns.”

A Crop Worth Reconsidering

With better market prices, reduced pest pressure and breeding advances that can lower growing costs, OSR is once again becoming an increasingly viable option, particularly following barley where it offers valuable rotational benefits.

As Ms Gibbs at United Oilseeds (UOM) points out, the outlook for OSR is improving and growers now have more tools and knowledge at their disposal than ever before to grow the crop successfully.

For many, OSR has been a crop to avoid in recent years — but that sentiment may be about to change.

More information

Technical and agronomic data from trials and on-farm is available on all our OSR varieties in the LG Arable Guide, download here

To learn more about LG Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle Resilience and claim BASIS and NRoSO points, you can read our whitepaper here.

Independent crop consultant Pat Thornton, farms 150ha’s of arable land at Low Melwood Farm, Owston Ferry, North Lincolnshire, and has grown cereal and pulse seed crops for Limagrain for the last six years.

We asked him about the pros and cons of growing crops for seed.

What are the main benefits of growing crops for seed?

Growing crops for seed adds value to what I already grow across the rotation. It gives me a premium on top of a standard feed crop. One of the most exciting aspects is seeing new genetics in action before they become widely available. It’s great to be part of that development process and see how these new crops perform in real farm conditions. I have direct access to the breeder, which is invaluable for understanding the crop and getting expert advice. Seed crops are also collected relatively quickly at harvest, helping to move crops on faster; and this helps with cash flow.

Are there any challenges associated with growing crops for seed?

Yes, growing seed crops requires stricter quality control and attention to detail. There are specific requirements for purity and disease management, which means I must follow precise guidelines to meet standards. We have to be extra vigilant about weeds like wild oats, which can be an issue, and blackgrass, which is a particular challenge on my heavier soils. To manage this, I tend to grow seed crops on my cleaner fields.

Is storage capability an issue?

Storage is an important consideration because seed crops need to be kept separately to maintain purity. This means having dedicated storage space and ensuring it is well-managed to meet seed quality standards.

Pat Thornton of Low Melwood Farm.

This year Pat is growing LG Beowulf and Tundra winter beans. Pat has grown Tundra for a few years now and is looking forward to seeing the new genetics coming out of the LG pulses breeding programme.

Find out how becoming an LG seed contract grower can benefit you.  Contact Victoria Smith on:

 T: +44(0)1472 370159
E: victoria.smith@limagrain.co.uk

This article is featured in the June 2025 edition of GatePost.  Click here to read the full edition.