BRITISH born and bred WOSR seed

UK growers are increasingly concerned over winter rape establishment reliability.

Pest and seedbed challenges in difficult establishment seasons mean than getting a uniform plant population is often problematic.

The current trend towards reducing seed rates make this establishment challenge a riskier business and increasing seed costs deter many growers from taking the chance to increase seed rates.

Offering a lower cost option gives the grower a fighting chance.
Both Advance and Sundance have excellent track records since 2014 across the UK but are not currently on the Recommended List.

They are however proven performers and seed pricing allows flexibility with drilling rates.

Both varieties are short-medium height
Standing power is good – so no increased risk of lodging if sowing rates are increased
Where sowing conditions are good, seed rate can be moderated with the assurance that yield is not penalized.

Agronomic characters mean these lower-biomass variety types are easy to manage at harvest

Advance is the early maturing option, allowing a spread of harvest timings for 2018
Overall disease resistance is good

Suggested seed rate is 70 seeds/m2, meaning 4 million seeds in each bag covers 5.7ha (14.1 acre)
Where rate are increased to 100 seeds/m2 each pack covers 4ha (10 acre)

Both are BRITISH born and bred, developed in the UK by a UK breeder for the UK climate

Cost delivered: £172.00 per 4 million seed bag

At 70 seeds/m2, sowing cost is £30.17/ha (£12.21/acre)

 

[Great In Grass]

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[Great In Grass]

WOSR - Reduce establishment risks with alternative rapeseed approach

Farmers who are getting ready to drill oilseed rape should consider using less expensive conventional varieties to increase the seed rate and counter establishment challenges.

With flea beetle in the East, along with slugs, pigeons and unpredictable weather across the country, getting oilseed rape off to a good start can be difficult, says Clive Sutton, business development manager at DLF Seeds. “In perfect conditions, a standard seed rate for conventional varieties is 70-80 seeds/m2, with a view to establishing 40 plants per m2 as you head into the winter,” he explains.

“But with potentially devastating losses to pests, particularly flea beetle in the absence of neonicotinoid seed treatments, many farmers are looking to up the seed rate to ensure survival of sufficient plant numbers going into the winter.”

However, such a move can prove expensive, so Mr Sutton recommends considering less costly varieties which are proven to work well in your area, but may have just missed qualifying for the AHDB’s Recommended List, or are still at the candidate stage. “Varieties like Advance and Sundance are both good, solid, British-bred options with strong commercial results – but they can be obtained at considerably less cost than the market leaders. That means you can increase seed rates to 100-120 seeds/m2 to reduce establishment risks without taking a financial hit,” he adds.

When choosing varieties it’s important to consider the need to spread workloads at harvest and drilling, and whether you need to sell rapeseed early for storage and cash flow reasons. After this year’s wet summer, harvest date may be another important consideration.

According to the Met Office, summer rainfall has been on an upward trend since 1995, with four of the top 10 wettest summers on record occurring since 2008. Opting for an early maturing variety could therefore be well worthwhile, to beat the August rains. “Choosing an early variety like Advance also means there is more time for a stale seedbed so you can tackle blackgrass and other weeds before sowing winter wheat.”

Another advantage of growing a conventional variety is the ability to farm-save seed; something which is not possible with hybrid varieties, says Mr Sutton. “If you’re farm saving seed make sure your crops are clear of weeds like charlock and runch, otherwise they can multiply quite rapidly and potentially contaminate the oil.”