Limagrain

Crusoe - three years on

At its launch back in 2012, Crusoe set the standard for a new kind of milling wheat that offered very high yields, exceptional quality and agronomic characteristics that meant it could be grown across a range of on farm situations and perform consistently even in high incidences of disease pressures.


Since its launch into official trials, the variety has been tested in very different seasons each offering its own set of challenges from the very dry springs in 2010/11 to the extreme disease pressure seasons of 2012 and 2014. How has the variety withstood these challenges and has it fulfilled its promise of being able to deliver both on farm and to market requirements?


When developing a new milling wheat, the variety has to be able to deliver the basics of good protein content, Hagberg and specific weight says Ian Foot, quality wheat manager with breeders Limagrain UK. But there’s also the quality of the flour, its functionality and baking performance and colour – and for it to make a Group1, it needs to deliver all of this consistently.


“Yield is the primary trait we breed for to get onto the HGCA recommended list - it has to perform, but alongside this, agronomic characteristics such as good disease resistance and straw stiffness are important attributes for consideration.”


Crusoe is a cross between long time market favourite Cordiale and a Limagrain variety Gulliver which is less well known, but gives Crusoe its distinctive iridescent green colour and the genetic disposition for a high protein content.”

“Quality is a genetic trait so there is an element of predictability in building it into a variety, but it’s all about the type of protein and its consistency. The right type of protein is difficult to define but it manifests itself in the bake for bread flour and this all comes down to how the variety processes nitrogen. In a good milling variety, nitrogen is used for building protein as well as feeding yield.”


Crusoe was identified by Warburtons to stand out in baking tests when it was first trialled in 2007; it has the whitest flour with a high protein content and good functionality. It produces relatively strong gluten, like Gallant and has shown itself to deliver this consistently.

Stuart Jones, technical controller for Warburtons notes how Crusoe quickly established itself as an integral part of the Warburton’s wheat growing programme. “Consistency of flour performance is essential when baking at Warburton’s. We expect a lot from our raw materials especially the flour to ensure every product produced meets the standards our consumers demand. We need to know that any variety we take on has an ability to deliver against the specification year after year and Crusoe has exhibited all the Warburton’s specific traits expected during bake tests.”


“Protein quantity is what’s measured but its protein quality that matters. Crusoe puts a tick in both boxes. Year on year Crusoe has continued to deliver and Crusoe remains within the Warburton’s wheat selection plans going forward.”


Ron Granger, arable technical manager with Limagrain backs up these findings and points out that this consistency of quality offering is what sets Crusoe apart from the other Group 1 wheats.


“In all of the trials we have conducted either in house or with industry partners, the message is the same – year on year, irrespective of region, rotation slot or soil type –Crusoe consistently delivers yield and quality.”




HGCA RL data- Seasonal Protein Content


There’s also no doubt the variety yields, adds Mr Granger. Data from 2014 Agrii COGS trials show Crusoe’s top yielding performance across the UK; with a more typical farm fungicide programme. The trials were carried out on both heavy and light-land sites.

“What we see is a robustness of performance across soils types and regions. For example in Essex the crop yielded 13.6t/ha which was well above Skyfall (13.2t/ha) and KWS Trinity (13.3t/ha). Results from the other side of country in south Wales, show a similar picture with Crusoe yielding 12.9t/ha, 0.8t/ha over KWS Trinity and 0.2t/ha over Skyfall. This trend continued across the sites in Wiltshire and Yorkshire.”

“Final mean figures show Crusoe produced a top yield across the sites of 12.6t/ha, higher than both Skyfall (12.5t/ha) and KWS Trinity (12.1t/ha).”


These results were replicated in our trials in harvest 2014 adds Lee Bennett of Openfield. “Crusoe was the stand out variety from harvest 2014 in my opinion. It readily yielded about 0.5t/ha more yield than was anticipated by comparison to its recent historic performance, and fortuitously in a low protein year, it was commonly 0.5% higher in protein than other Group 1 varieties. “


“With no issues around any of its physical qualities, Crusoe has become universally accepted by its growers and by the millers as being a solid Group 1 and it will have no trouble finding a home. “

The announcement of this year’s AHDB Recommended List sees a range of varieties securing full recommendation from breeders Limagrain UK

that offer new thresholds for a range of agronomic and marketing qualities.


Spring barley

Continuing the established and successful line of dual purpose, non-GN spring barley varieties, Origin and Ovation have received full recommendation.

Origin is a high yielding variety with potential for brewing and malt distilling. Offering 8% yield benefit over Concerto, yielding 104% over control, the variety has performed well in the north and east, suiting established spring barley growing areas.

Origin is moderately short strawed with good lodging resistance offering good disease ratings with a (9) for yellow rust and a 6 for Rhyncosporium. Its high Hot water Extract properties make it one of the best on the Recommended List (RL).


Ovation is the highest yielding feed barley on the RL, yielding 11% over Concerto at 107% over control, which includes good yields also in the west of the country. Its rating of 7 for brackling and Rhyncosporium underpins these high yields.

“Although not suitable for UK malting requirements, the variety is in French CBMO trialling, and has had good results in both Czech and Danish trials, so could be suitable for export from more southern farms, ”says Les Daubney, arable marketing director with Limagrain.


Oilseed rape

The conventional variety Nikita, which has a Light Leaf Spot rating of 7, makes it one of the highest on the HGCA Recommended List. “Varieties with high LLS ratings show significantly better natural resistance compared to other varieties providing that bit of breathing space required to treat the crops, and should be selected as an important element in the fight against this very damaging and increasingly high threat disease,” says Dr Vasilis Gegas, senior oilseed rape breeder with Limagrain,



“The last two years have seen the spread of the disease, which has been accelerated by the warmer winter experienced in 2013 and 2014, allowing earlier infection and more rapid recycling of the disease- and this winter is not looking very different so far.”

He notes that in years when LLS pressure is high, resistance ratings may come under pressure and therefore there’s a distinct advantage in starting with the highest rating possible.

Nikita not only offers a significant step forward for integrated disease management but also delivers solid seed and oil yield, being one of the highest on the RL for this category, at 45.6%



“With its high LLS resistance, short and stiff stem and earliness to maturity, Nikita fits well with the requirements of the northern region and has been fully recommended for the North. Unexpectedly however, it has not been accepted onto the East- West list despite its obvious favourable characteristics. According to the AHDB, this decision has come about solely as a result of Nikita’s lower, though above the minimum standards, stem canker rating, but we strongly believe that this should not deter growers from the variety as it performed very well across the country this harvest, and is well supported by the seed industry and growers alike. “



Amalie is the only commercially available oilseed rape variety with resistance to TuYV on the market, and its recommendation this year confirms the importance of this characteristic.

Amalie is a conventional OSR variety that offers a gross output similar to the widely grown variety, DK Cabernet. In situations, where aphids are difficult to control and infection levels of TuYV high, Amalie will yield as much as susceptible varieties.

Agronomically the variety offers sound agronomics and robust disease resistance ratings, with a 6 for LLS and 5 for phoma, with an 8 for standing power and stem stiffness, so with no obvious weaknesses there is a serious case for growers to consider making it part of their OSR cropping next season.


Pulses

Kingfisher, a large blue pea has added to the RL list for 2016. “Its slightly lower yield at 98% is more than compensated for as this variety offers superb colour, as good as Daytona, making it very suitable for the micronizing and other premium markets,” says Milika Buurman, senior pulse breeder with Limagrain.



“Kingfisher although slightly taller, has one of the highest standing ability ratings of 7 on the RL, it also has a rating of 6 for downy mildew, so should find favour on farm easily.”

A new variety bred especially for growers looking for very high dry matter yields, combined with a flexible harvesting period.

Tarine is a pink rooted variety and has shown in UK trials to be suited for livestock farmers looking to increase their forage production.

Strengths

• Very High DM yields
• Ease of harvest
• High DM%
• Rhizomania resistant
• Flexible harvesting dates

Use the correct seed rate for spring barley varieties to ensure optimum establishment


The standard seed rate of 350 seeds/m² appears to be the ideal seed rate for many of the spring barley varieties when good seedbeds and growing conditions are conducive to quick plant emergence, states Ron Granger, Limagrain UK’s arable technical manager.

This season is no different, as growers should be patient and delay drilling, until good seed beds with warming soil temperatures ensure quick plant establishment – spring growing crops do not like growth checks.



”We have carried out trials, looking at variety interaction with seed rate for two consecutive seasons in both Scotland and Norfolk. These two seasons were very different with regards to establishment and disease pressure –however despite this a rate of 350 seeds/m² would still appear to be correct.”

“Although we saw a slight increase in yield in the 2015 data sets, especially for the newer varieties with an increased seed rate, in general over two years the 350 seeds/m² rate would appear to be the most cost-effective.”



However he points out that seed rates for spring barley, as for many cereal crops is not an exact science and will need adjusting depending on drilling date, tillering capacity, soil conditions, weather forecast, pest activity and most importantly growers knowledge from previous experience.



Specific weight

“Specific weight however would not appear to be greatly influenced by differing seed rates, but in general the standard 350 seeds/m² in the 2014 and 2015 season, produced the best specific weight for the majority of the varieties in the trial.”



“In general the drive for higher yield has driven varieties towards a later maturity and it is also quite evident that these varieties would also appear to have lower specific weight recordings as compared with past older varieties – but Sienna bucks the trend -and has the best specific weight on the AHDB Recommended List.”

“It’s necessary to keep testing these new high yielding lines to ensure that historic agronomic inputs are still relevant in today’s climate, especially when we know that many of the new spring barley varieties have significantly increased yield potential over the last six years.

Suspicions that the aggressive Warrior 3 rust race could be a threat this season have been raised by breeders Limagrain UK; growers are warned to be extra vigilant in checking their wheat crops.



The Warrior 3 race of yellow rust was identified at several sites across the UK by Limagrain breeders at the end of the 2015 growing season when yellow rust suddenly exploded on a number of varieties, despite their high resistance ratings, levels of infection very quickly reached significant levels.



Cereal pathologist with Limagrain, Paul Fenwick explains the findings: “We had some ‘very different and unusual yellow rust sightings’ last year in Scotland, Lincolnshire and Suffolk; varieties that were previously clean and resistant to known rust races were suddenly covered in rust. For example, Invicta had over 50% of its leaf area infected, despite its AHDB rating of 8.”



“From our geographically extensive trials, we have made our own isolates and tested them on seedlings and found all of them to be consistent with coming from the Warrior 3 group, as recently defined by the UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS).”



“This was not what we expected, as if we reference the findings presented at the UKCPVS stake-holders meeting in March, Warrior 3 pathotypes were found to be much less frequent than Warrior 4-6 type in 2015.”



“However, if our findings are correct, and Warrior 3 has increased its frequency in the mix of yellow rust types out there now, it’s possible that we could be seeing some real surprises in varietal resistances in 2016, and most probably before the latter part of the season”, he says.



It is believed that all the Warrior group of races originated in the Himalayan region, and the fact these are from a sexual population goes some way to explaining their variability and atypical characteristics compared to the clonal, European population that we’ve been used to for so long. The Warrior groups of yellow rust are now totally dominant within the UK population and also across Europe.



“Limagrain is routinely running seedling tests - as it is important for us to characterise both seedling and adult plant resistance to the various strains of yellow rust. We’ve recently found that seedlings are generally more susceptible to new races compared to isolates from the old population – some of the new ones appears to be particularly aggressive in our seedling tests, and could be one explanation for why we are seeing such high levels of yellow rust in fields currently,” adds Mr Fenwick.



“We know that the Kranich race has been detected for the first time in the UK (a single occurrence in 2014), but much like the Warrior 3 race, the actual risk posed by it is still unknown at this stage. It might be that we need to be equally concerned about this race, as the Warrior 3 races.”



“As breeders, we are constantly working, with the help of genetic markers, to gain a better understanding of the genetics underlying the rust resistance in our varieties. Whilst many important resistance genes have become less effective against the Warrior races, we are also seeing that some, previously overcome genes, are now working again.”



“The reality is that we don’t know where it will be seen again or how the Warrior 3 race will behave, but we do know that it appears to be more aggressive than the Warrior 4 race, so the message for growers is that they need to be extremely vigilant in checking their crops and don’t take any varietal resistance ratings for granted,” adds Ron Granger, technical manager with Limagrain.



Manufacturers BASF say that if yellow rust symptoms appear in crops, growers should take a zero tolerance approach. “There is a lot of uncertainty about which varieties are likely to develop rust and we are seeing active disease in a range of varieties which would not normally be considered high risk,” says agronomy manager Louis Wells.



“There is still a versatile and effective toolbox available so growers should feel confident about control; epoxiconazole is the best rust triazole, pyraclostrobin the best strob. Where using an SDHI ensure you choose an SDHI which is partnered with epoxiconazole – in practice this means Adexar.”



“Chlorothalonil (CTL) should also be included to boost Septoria control and as an anti-resistance strategy. In our trials, the potential for antagonism from adding CTL can be even greater when treating rust than septoria, but we have never seen an issue of this with Adexar,” he says.

Good second wheat performance could depend on choice of first wheat. Work from breeders Limagrain UK would suggest that first wheat variety choice could have serious implications for the following second wheat crop.



Known varieties that under-perform in the second wheat situation would appear to have a negative effect on the following wheat crop, if grown in the first wheat situation, says Ron Granger, arable technical manager.



“This would suggest that these poor second wheat varieties allow take-all inoculum to build up in the soil, which can lead to devastating yield loss in the second wheat situation, especially if a poor second wheat variety is selected.”



“Many wheats marked as ’good’ second wheats on the AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Recommended List may not actually be the most suitable for this position due to a lack of good phenotypic data, as this second wheat root disease is complex and not straight forward.”



“Take-all infection in the field is very sporadic and consistent evaluation of the data is difficult, but never the less, we do have seasons showing high levels of take-all and it is important to acknowledge the diverse differences in varieties.”



Mr Granger believes that from a take-all management point of view, first and second wheats need to be considered as pairs. Trials work carried out by Limagrain in 2008/9, which were both

seasons with high take-all incidences, show the performance of a second wheat can differ by as much as 4.2t/ha if the wrong first wheat precedes – a significant impact on farm income!



While some growers may select a variety with high eyespot resistance for a second wheat slot, he wonders if these cultivars would be more useful in the first wheat position, as interestingly the trials work carried out in 2008/9 suggested that a variety with Pch1 (Rendezvous) eyespot resistance grown in the first wheat situation had lower take-all build up, with the knock on effect of higher yields achieved in the second year for all varieties tested.



However, when choosing a variety for second wheat, take-all isn’t the only pathogen that growers should bear in mind, he continues.



“Eyespot, both sharp and common, and fusarium foot rot all need to be borne in mind.”



Mr Granger believes that with new technologies such as the CT scanner technology at the University of Nottingham and the work being done by several of the institutes on take-all, will allow us to get a better handle on this complex disease.



“New and evolving technologies will allow researchers and breeders to analyse a variety’s root mass in a non-destructive manner. This means that breeders may be able to select for more robust varieties against take-all, by choosing varieties with greater root-mass development in conjunction with varieties that inhibit lower levels of take-all build up.”

A scientific paper based on work at Rothamsted in 2010 confirmed these findings (McMillan, Hammond-Kosack; Gutteridge 2010). The project produced the first evidence of relatively consistent differences between wheat cultivars in their interactions with the take-all fungus, which could give an indication of those cultivars that could be grown as a first wheat crop, in order to reduce the risk of damaging take-all in a second wheat crop. This phenomenon has been named the take-all inoculum build-up (TAB) trait.



“We still have a lot to learn about the second wheat scenario but slowly and scientifically we are starting to unravel the complexities associated with the take-all disease. Hopefully in the future we may be able to achieve yields comparable as a first wheat for the second wheat situation, as this would certainly benefit growers for raising farm incomes across the UK, “says Mr Granger.



[PANEL]

Evolution has performed very well in both the first and second wheat situations in both Limagrain internal and external independent trials, showing that the variety is robust for on farm performance.



“Evolution would appear to be more robust in dealing with take-all as it would appear to perform better in a second wheat slot than a first wheat. As a first wheat it yields 104% on the AHDB RL 2016/17, but move it into a second wheat slot and its performance jumps 2%”



Bred by Danish breeder Sejet, the combination of the political climate and tight regulations around crop inputs in Denmark and the tendency for early generation selection of varieties in a second wheat situation would tend to produce wheats with greater root mass to improve nutrient-use efficiency. Modern technologies will allow scientists to study this claim more closely so we should have more data in the future.



Britannia, also from the Limagrain portfolio is also a variety that performs very well in the second wheat situation, confirmed by both the AHDB RL and independent data sets. “This may be attributed to its parent Cassius which was also a very good second wheat, with proven performance on farm.”



“In an early drilling scenario or if eyespot is a known concern, a variety such as Revelation with very good eyespot resistance based around the Pch 1 Rendezvous resistance should be considered.”



These varieties offer growers very high yield potential for either the hard or soft markets, in either the first or second wheat situation as well as offering a combination of good agronomics

and disease resistance, important attributes for ensuring consistency for on-farm performance, he says.



Wet and mild conditions over winter and into the spring would indicate that take-all could be a problem in crops this season, particularly if we see a wet summer. In similar conditions in 2009, the typical signs of take-all infection which are stunted growth and premature plant senescence were clearly visible, and lead to yield losses of about 2t/ha.

UK field trials run by specialist seed company Limagrain UK have shown that benefits such as biomass production and nutrient capture, that reduces leaching, can easily cover establishment costs.

Trials were carried out in 2015/16 on sites in Lincolnshire with varying land types. Two single varieties and four mixtures were each drilled directly into 0.4ha stubble plots using a Sky Easy drill or a Dale drills Eco drill. Samples were taken at regular intervals and measured for biomass and nutrient retention.

“Oilseed Radish and mustard were compared with four Limagrain catch and cover crop mixtures all with specific attributes,” says Limagrain’s seed specialist John Spence.


These included Lift ‘N’ Fix – a rye and vetch mixture, Sprinter – a black oats and vetch mixture, Soil Improver with oats, oilseed radish, phacelia and mustard and Green Reward with rye, oat, oilseed radish, tillage radish, mustard, vetch and phacelia.



“The results showed that all the trial plots yielded between 2 and 2.5 tonnes of dry matter per hectare in a 12 week growing period, with Green Reward and Soil Improver producing more than 17t/ha of green organic material.”

Based on N, P and K found in the green material after eight and 12 weeks, Limagrain has calculated a nutrient value for each mixture and showed that each can uplift significant quantities that would potentially have been lost if the land was left fallow. Lift ‘N’ Fix was the most successful – designed specifically to capture nitrogen - with more than 100kg of N being captured by the mixture, which, with the value of P and K based on current fertiliser prices (ammonium nitrate £210/t, triple superphosphate £275/t, muriate of potash £240/t) is worth £126.85 a hectare.

“If we include the value of the nitrogen fixed by the vetch and £15 worth of sheep grazing we have a crop value for Lift ‘N’ Fix of £152/ha,” adds Mr Spence. “This outweighs the growing cost of Lift ‘N’ Fix of £138/ha.”

Based on the trial results, Limagrain calculated the value for Soil Improver to be £156/hectare. “This mixture includes species with a variety of different rooting depths which help to relieve compaction through the soil profile,” says Mr Spence. “It is the mixture we recommend when soil compaction is the main priority.”

Sprinter, a fast growing mixture that supresses weeds and is ideal where blackgrass control is a priority, had an estimated value of £148/ha. All three mixtures satisfy EFA criteria. Green Reward, the final mixture in the trials is a premium multi species mixture which covers all bases as a cover crop giving high biomass, soil conditioning and compaction alleviation as well as blackgrass control.

“The cost of growing a single species cover crop may be covered by short term benefits like weed suppression and nutrient capture, but, for the same growing costs, farmers can reap additional benefits by using specially designed mixtures that fulfil specific roles.

“A poorly designed or poorly established cover crop will bring few benefits above leaving the land fallow and may cause more problems than it solves. And simply selecting the cheapest crop that is EFA compliant could be a missed opportunity whereas mixtures designed to meet specific requirements will bring additional short term benefits and the longer term use of these well designed cover crops will also lead to improvements in soil health and organic matter.”

Limagrain has detailed its mixtures along with growing advice and EFA regulations in its latest Soil Improvement publication available on line from: http://www.lgseeds.co.uk/expertise/download-soil-improvement-solutions-brochure/

Limagrain UK is part of a fast growing, French farmer-owned international co-operative group, specialising in both agricultural and horticultural seeds, and in cereal products.

So what does Brexit mean to a company like Limagrain, and what are the implications for UK growers?

“It’s business as usual,” says Les Daubney, Limagrain marketing director for arable seeds. “Whilst Limagrain has its roots in the Auvergne plains in central France, its seeds activity is worldwide.”

Limagrain is the fourth largest plant breeder and seeds marketing company in the world, and although the main part of the business is within Europe with 52% of total sales and 60% of the Limagrain workforce, 33% of sales and 20% of the workforce are in the America’s, 10% of sales and 7.5% of the workforce are in Africa and the middle east, and 5% of sales and 12.5% of the workforce are based in Asia, he says.

“This shows the global approach and focus for the company; of which the UK business is a key part of, and this strategy will continue despite the uncertainties of a UK outside of the EU.”

Limagrain has a dedicated UK breeding programme which consists of several key plant breeding centres based throughout the country, focused across a range of crop types, such as wheat

breeding at Woolpit in Suffolk, barley and OSR breeding at the head offices in Rothwell, Lincolnshire and roots and pulse breeding at Docking in Norfolk.

The breeding programme for each crop type is led by a senior plant breeder, who is backed up and supported by a local team including technical expertise, pathologists, breeding assistants and industry liaisons etc.

Mr Daubney is keen to emphasise that the work of the breeders is very much part of the global strategic breeding programme of the company, where breeders from across the company share genetic material and processes, when relevant and appropriate to the individual and national requirements of the breeding programmes that they lead.

“Plant breeding has many challenges to overcome in the next ten years, and we have to ensure that we adapt our programmes to meet these so that we continue to provide varieties that meet the needs of both growers and end markets in specific regions,” says Ed Flatman, senior wheat breeder with Limagrain UK.




“Growers continue to expect quality and consistently performing varieties that will make a difference to their profits; this means that the varieties need to meet constantly changing market demands, which means breeding for local conditions but with access to genetic material, data and technology that may come from one of our international centres.”



“Products need to be easy and economical to process as well as to source, and this is only achieved through the production of reliable and consistent varieties that have undergone extensive pre- commercial testing and evaluation between ourselves and key partners, and this requires local knowledge and understanding.”



“Yield stability is key to the success of the programmes at Limagrain, and this means that we are aiming to produce varieties that easy to grow and deliver consistently year on year this is nothing new for us.”







Candidates for 2016/2017 AHDB Recommended List

It is this very process that is bringing forward several new and exciting wheat candidates for recommendation this coming autumn.



LG Sundance and LG Motown are very high yielding soft feed winter wheats, with initial official testing suggesting that the varieties meet the specifications for both the distilling and soft uks export markets.



“We are particularly excited about LG Motown, which has consistently yielded 104.3 over control, and above JB Diego, and offers similar attributes to the popular variety Revelation, with some significant advantages. It’s earlier to mature than Revelation and JB Diego; an important attribute of consideration for growers of winter wheat in the northern regions of the UK,” says Ron Granger, arable technical manager for Limagrain.



He adds that LG Motown has good resistance to the rusts; septoria and eyespot, as well as offering OWBM resistance.



LG Sundance has an excellent disease resistance profile, with a very good ‘7’ rating for septoria tritici. Limagrain data suggests it is a higher tillering variety with a slower prostrate growth habit in the spring - attributes considered of importance for the earlier drilling slot.



Stratosphere is a very high yielding soft feed winter wheat, bred by Danish breeders, Sejet.

Stratosphere has a good disease resistance profile and carries resistance for OWBM, and trials to date suggests it also performs well as a second wheat.



LG Cassidy is a very high yielding winter wheat, with initial official testing suggesting that the variety meets the specifications for the nabim Group 2 sector. LG Cassidy is a shorter strawed variety with good lodging resistance, a durable disease resistance and good physical grain characteristics.



“LG Cassidy is similar to Einstein with respect to its lower tillering, erect habit and rapid spring development.”



“Limited data suggests a low vernalisation requirement, similar to Panorama, which gives the additional benefit for later sowing after roots or where blackgrass is an issue. It has also shown good second wheat performance.”



LG Bletchley is a Group 3 variety that offers potential for all the soft wheat markets; export, distilling and biscuit wheat. LG Bletchley is an early maturing variety with stiff straw, good disease resistance and OWBM combined with good grain quality, which makes it an interesting option for the North.



“It’s a medium tillering variety with an erect habit and more rapid spring development, and it is under evaluation for its suitability across the whole sowing range, early to late.”

Aquila’s vigour shines under pressure


The superb autumn and spring vigour of Limagrain’s new oilseed rape variety; Aquila, is making a big impression on growers that could see it challenge market leaders in 2018/19.


The restored hybrid is officially recommended for east/west regions, but Openfield’s Lee Bennett says evidence suggests it suits almost any location, soil type or drilling slot. Indeed, Aquila was the top variety at the Croft variety trials near Darlington last year and many crops in northern England and Scotland have performed as well as further south, he says.


“It’s exciting to find a variety that can match or beat established favourites. Aquila has strong vigour in autumn and spring, good phoma and light leaf spot resistance, pod shatter resistance, stiff straw and doesn’t grow too tall.”


Yields well despite tough conditions



Richard Wainwright, who farms 510ha on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, is growing Aquila for the second time after last year’s crop, direct drilled after wheat, yielded an impressive 5t/ha.

“It went in later than usual, but still established well. We’re only sowing 30 seeds/sq m, targeting 15-17 plants/sq m in March, so crops can look a bit thin at first. But once we got to the end of March, it grew and branched out amazingly and yielded 5t/ha.”


This season’s 30ha, which was direct drilled after winter barley on 19th August, has again gone into a challenging situation as the field is surrounded by woodland on three sides, resulting in significant pigeon pressure. Despite this, and difficult weather earlier in the year, the crop is doing well, he says. “It showed good autumn vigour and really got going once we reached mid-April.”


“It’s got really good disease ratings and we’ve never felt it’s let itself down due todisease. Pod shatter resistance is another good attribute to have.”


Mr Wainwright adds: “There is a myriad of varieties coming through the breeding system, promising all sorts of things. I’m looking for a ‘keeper’ and on the evidence of last year and this year’s crop so far, Aquila looks to fit that bill. We’ll see how it yields, but at this stage I’ll certainly grow it again next year.”


Aquila stands out from others



Aquila’s autumn and spring vigour has similarly impressed Lincolnshire farmer Daniel King, who has 80ha (200 acres) of his 280ha (700 acres) of oilseed rape down to the variety, at Pasture Hill Farm, Edenham near Bourne.


“It’s our first year growing Aquila and so far it looks far superior to anything else, which includes Extrovert and Campus. It established really well in the autumn, and sprang out of the blocks quickly in the spring when other varieties seemed to struggle to get going in cold, wet conditions.”


“We’ve never had an issue with Extrovert in the past, but it doesn’t look a patch on the Aquila, while Campus also looks poor.”


Oilseed rape was sown from 20th August onwards, using a 6m Cousins Micro Wing shallow subsoiler set to 600mm leg spacing. A 14-14-0 liquid starter fertiliser was included with seed, to boost establishment on the predominantly heavy land.


“We’re surrounded by woodland which means there’s a lot of pressure from pigeons and deer, so crops have to get away quickly,” Mr King says. “Last year was also the worst we’ve seen for flea beetle activity, but thankfully crops grew away before there was much damage.”


Aquila’s strong disease resistance - particularly to phoma (rated 8) and light leaf spot (6) is another important attribute, as it gives some flexibility around spray timings, he adds.


“We treat all varieties the same with a robust programme of two autumn and two spring fungicides, but having a variety with a good disease profile does buy time if we can’t get on to spray.”


He also values Aquila’s pod shatter resistance, which should reduce harvest losses and benefit yield.


Mr King says Aquila is likely to be the dominant rape variety sown this autumn, given it’s performance so far, although he will retain a mix of varieties to spread risk.

Lee Bennett acknowledges that sowing vigorous varieties early can sometimes increase the risk of producing over-thick canopies that are at greater lodging risk, but insists Aquila is a good option in early drilling slots due to its stiff stems.


“It’s true slot is the mainstream sowing window, starting in the third week of August - that’s where it really shines. But it works well grown early or late.”


[Summary box] Aquila’s key attributes

• Strong hybrid vigour in autumn and spring
• Good disease resistance
• Pod shatter resistance
• Stiff straw
• High oil content

Consider clubroot risk in 2019 OSR plans


Clubroot is an increasing problem affecting oilseed rape crops well beyond traditional hotspot areas, and more must be done to manage the risks.


The disease is typically most severe in wetter regions with a history of mixed cropping, such as Scotland and northern or western England, but isolated cases occur across the UK, with losses exceeding 50% of yield potential in the worst-affected crops.


“Clubroot is still a relatively niche problem compared to diseases like light leaf spot, but we’re seeing more cases around the country, and for growers in hotspot areas there’s a high proportion who have at least one field affected,” Limagrain’s Vasilis Gegas says.


“It mirrors what we’re seeing elsewhere in Europe where clubroot incidence is increasing, possibly as a consequence of climate change resulting in more frequent, milder and wetter winters. It is why the disease is our most heavily-invested oilseed rape breeding trait, aside from turnip yellows virus.”

Resistant hybrid varieties such as; Archimedes, offer a valuable option for growing oilseed rape on infected land, and newcomers such as; Alasco, promise to virtually eliminate the “yield drag” associated with resistant varieties in the past, says Dr Gegas.


“Alasco is the next generation of clubroot resistant varieties, with a yield close to mainstream varieties and oil content 3% higher than Archimedes.”


Alasco retains and enhances many of the traits in Archimedes that were developed specifically for northern areas, such as robust light leaf spot resistance, short stiff straw, pod shatter resistance and early maturity.


Agrii northern seed sales manager; Rodger Shirreff, who plans to try Alasco for the first time this autumn says, Archimedes has served growers well over recent years, allowing good yields to be produced from clubroot-infected land.


The variety’s vigorous autumn establishment is particularly beneficial as it allows the taproot to establish quickly, providing a solid foundation to build on. It is also one of the quicker varieties to resume growth in the spring, he notes.


“Clubroot is a widespread issue in Scotland, that’s been perpetuated by tight (one year in four) rotations. But it’s not limited to Scotland; we’re also seeing increasing problems further south, so more growers are moving to resistant varieties.”


[X-head] Protect future resistance

While genetic resistance is very effective, Dr Gegas warns the clubroot pathogen (Plasmodiophora brassicae) is capable of evolving and overcoming resistance in certain circumstances, so genetics must be supported with good husbandry and stewardship.


He advises against growing resistant varieties unless clubroot is a significant problem and says extended rotations of at least one year in seven or eight, and careful soil management must also be used to control disease.


“There’s a lot to gain from making soil conditions unfavourable for clubroot by liming to increase the pH to 6/7, prior to drilling or improving drainage of waterlogged areas. Wider rotations alone aren’t the answer because the pathogen can survive for such a long time in soil.”


Commercial soil tests can be useful for confirming presence of the clubroot pathogen, but should only be a guide, he notes. “We often find many soils contain the pathogen, but that doesn’t mean disease will develop or there will be an impact on yield, as it still requires the right environmental conditions.”


“Last autumn was mild and wet so we saw a lot of symptoms, and if climate change leads to frequent, milder and wetter winters, we could well see a wider spread of the disease.”


Mr Shirreff says clubroot can sometimes go unnoticed until significant yield declines are seen, so vigilance is essential if growers suspect there may be an issue.


Clubroot incidence tends to be patchy and leads to affected plants wilting in hot, dry weather, becoming stunted or dying completely as the galls that form on the tap root restrict water and nutrient uptake.


He also points out that volunteers from previous oilseed rape crops can harbour the disease and need to be controlled.


“We’ve seen situations in the past where a resistant variety has been grown and it’s appeared to have broken down to the pathogen, but in fact it’s instead the non-resistant volunteers that have grown up within the crop and then succumbed to the disease. Examples like this really highlight the strength of growing resistant varieties.”

New forage rape ‘Rampart’ proves a talking point post cereals


Cereal producers looking to introduce a forage crop post-harvest could do worse than grow the new winter hardy forage rape variety, Rampart. Introduced commercially in 2018 by Limagrain UK, this new generation of forage rape has been bred for its flexibility and feed quality.



“Rampart is especially valuable as a forage crop for cereal producers as it can be sown post-harvest and it is ready for grazing – by sheep or cattle – from October to February,” says Limagrain forage crop manager Martin Titley. “It is winter hardy, so it can provide a high-quality feed that retains its palatability.”

Limagrain trials show that this fast-growing brassica, that can be sown from June to August, produces a fresh yield 6% above the control variety used in the trials, and 2% higher dry matter yield. It also scored ‘8’ out of a maximum of ‘9’ for mildew and Alternaria resistance.

Forage rape has an estimated growing cost of £408/ha and yields between 4t and 5t of dry matter/hectare. It has a crude protein among the highest of any forage crop of 19% to 20% and an energy content between 10 and 11 ME/kg DM.

“Forage rape is a great break crop – and a catch crop,” adds Mr Titley. “It can break the pest and disease cycle that can hinder cereal production, and the dung from sheep and cattle, plus any green material that’s ploughed in post grazing, improve soil fertility and soil health. And growers also like the ground cover on arable land which is essential over winter to prevent water runoff and nitrogen leaching.

The minimal effort required to grow forage rape is also attractive to cereal producers. Stubble can be harrowed and the seed then planted with nitrogen fertiliser applied at a rate of 40kg to 50kg per hectare. The crop is also a good user of farm yard manure. After grazing, the land can be prepared for a spring cereal crop or a grass reseed.


Limagrain’s latest forage rape trial results are available from its web site www.lgseeds.co.uk/foragerape

Strong early vigour sees conventional OSR variety find favour in Angus

There has been a long running debate on the merits of hybrid versus conventional oilseed rape varieties, particularly in the harsher conditions of northern England and Scotland.

For one Central Angus grower, however, that debate has now been put to bed and he is now growing all conventional after one open-pollinated variety showed its mettle in a tough Autumn.

James Hopkinson manages about 1000ha of cropping under the umbrella of Arable Ventures, a Joint venture (JV) set up in 2014 between two family farming businesses.

Based around Kirriemuir & Forfar, the business produces combinable crops, and lets out land for vining peas and potatoes, with about 175ha of oilseed rape in the rotation, depending on the season.




Mr Hopkinson says he has experimented with hybrids, alongside conventional open pollinated types such as Anastasia and Nikita on the recommendation of Nick Wallace of NIckerson.

During autumn 2016, his strategy was to favour a hybrid variety for the later drilling slot up to mid-September, but after running out of seed had to use some Anastasia seed finish off some end rigs.

Growing the two side by side, there was little difference between the two varieties, even in such a late window, and going into the winter conventional Anastasia looked much better than its hybrid counterpart.

“It proved to me that hybrids in that situation aren’t necessarily all they are cracked up to be, with Anastasia having enough vigour, even when sown so late,” explains Mr Hopkinson.


Northern performer

The variety’s early vigour is one of the key reasons for the variety’s consistently high performance in the North, yielding 106% of controls and up with the latest recommended varieties some five years after its first listing.

It also has a resistance score of 7 for light leaf spot, a disease that can play havoc with northern growers in a high-pressure year and is short and stiff, so stands well in adverse conditions.

Taking an integrated approach to his crop management, the light leaf spot score of Anastasia is something that appeals to Mr Hopkinson to aid the judicious use fungicide inputs.

Disease risk was relatively low during 2016-17 and farm manager applied no fungicide to its two oilseed rape varieties – Anastasia and fellow conventional Nikita – and average yields still came in at a bumper 4.6 t/ha.

“Unless light leaf spot pressure is high, we won’t treat for it – you can’t blanket spray and should assess things on a field-by-field basis.

“I did find significant levels of sclerotinia sclerotia in the stubbles after the combine last year though, so we will have to use a flowering spray as a matter of coarse, particularly as we have [sclerotinia hosts] vining peas, potatoes and carrots in the rotation too.”

As Arable Ventures approaches its fourth harvest, Mr Hopkinson will again be cutting Anastasia and Nikita, alongside a small area of Campus. One field of Anastasia has also been entered in to ADAS’s Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) competition.

Both Anastasia and Nikita will be in drilling plans for autumn 2018 and Mr Hopkinson notes Anastasia is the only variety that has featured in every season since the business started back in 2013.

“I’ve tried others, but it has been so consistent and is now well-proven [on our farm]. It establishes well, has a good light leaf spot score, stands and yields, so you can’t ask for more,” he adds.

Canopy management

Limagrain’s oilseed rape breeder Vasilis Gegas says no obvious weaknesses stand out in Anastasia’s Recommended List statistics and is the driver behind its continued growth in market share.


However, he says one thing growers must be wary of is drill date, with its powerful early vigour potentially leading to an over-thick canopy in good conditions.

“Anastasia gives you a good early plant population and grows away well in a range of environments, but if you drill too early, you will have to manipulate the canopy with PGRs [plant growth regulators] and nitrogen.

“Use green area index measurements to adjust rates and don’t go crazy with seed rates – aim for a target plant population of 25-35 plants/m sq,” explains Dr Gegas.

Sky high yields in the Lincolnshire Wolds

Despite one of the wettest springs and driest summers on record, Lincs farmer Tim Lamyman, has managed to harvest 15.38t/ha from his crop of LG Skyscraper wheat.

“In what has been a really challenging season to get yields like this from a variety the first time we have grown it is tremendous. It’s one of the boldest samples I have seen in a wheat since we grew Oakley back in 2008 producing a specific weight of 84.”

Mr Lamyman chose to grow LG Skyscraper for its very high yield potential and the combination of plant characteristics offered by the variety . “It’s the highest yielding candidate in the 2018 AHDB Recommended List trials at 109% of control, so we had the right mix of good soils offering the potential to develop well-structured root systems enabling easier nutrient uptake and a high yielding variety from the start.”

The very same 8ha field in which the LG Skyscraper was grown, grew a record breaking crop of LG Stallion peas last year.

The crop was drilled on 24th September at a seed rate of 175kg/ha into a field which is a grade 2 chalky loam, that had been pressed followed by two passes with a Lemkin Terradisc and then finished with a Vaaderstat carrier (discs and crumble roller).

Once satisfied with the seed bed, LG Skyscraper was drilled by a Vaaderstat Rapid with the coulters set at a 4 inch row width, and finally rolled.

Mr Lamyman puts down his high yields, which includes this year’s OSR record yield of 7.01t/ha, to a good foliar feed programme, which he says helps to encourage deeper rooting in the winter relieving heat stress in the summer.

“Little and often is my philosophy to meet the crop’s growing needs; a healthy well-fed crop will be better at resisting debilitating disease,” he says.

“Between sowing and mid-November the crop had 3 applications of Delta K which went on with an insecticide, a herbicide and then on its own. After that the weather closed in, and it was very cold and wet, so we didn’t do much more with the crop until the spring.”

With regards to nitrogen applications, the crop received a total of 360kg/ha spread over several applications between February and May, he says.

“I can’t say enough how pleased I am with the way that the crop has performed in what has been a really challenging season. I will definitely be growing the variety again next year - there are always learnings to be had when growing a new variety. I say it takes four years of growing a variety to really get to know it and to grow it to its full potential.”

Fungicide inputs

• Seed treatment Redigo Deter +GPA +FC
• T0 – Cherokee + Modus (50ml) + Chlormequot (1 litre) + Delta K
• T1 – Same as T0 + Growth regulator + Ascra X Pro (1.2litre) + Delta K + 1-4-ALL
• T1.5 – Folicur (0.5litre) + Cerone (0.5 litre) + Tip Top (2.5 litre) + Magnesium (0.5 litre)
• T2 – Elatus Era (1 litre) + Cerone (0.25 litre) + Tip Top (2.5 litre) + Magnesium (0.5 litre) + Boron (1 litre) + Bravo (1 litre)
• T3 – Folicur (0.25 litre) + Proline (0.55 litre) + Amistar Opti (1 litre) + X-Stress (1 litre) + ToPPit (2 litre) + Calflux (0.5 litre)
• T4 – Folicur (0.5 litre) + X-Stress (1 litre) + ToPPit (3 litre) + Calflux (0.5 litre)