Why is oilseed rape so crap?

[SilliamWhale]

Expensive seed bought, royalties paid, had a bit of a babying etc and yet it's pretty crap. I honestly think what you spend on it makes not much difference

Yields are lower than 20 years ago. The ground hasn't had excessive brassicas.

Yes the season wasn't great but wheat doesn't seem to throw up the variability of OSR.

What are the key factors? I think it's the breeding.

 

[Mc115reed]

All the good sprays have been banned so everything and it’s aunty try’s too eat it?

 

[Hesstondriver]

breeders chasing oils imo

simple genetics means if you select for one thing generally speaking you lose or weaken other traits.

i wonder how an old variety like Lioness would perform now ?

its really strange how a livestock farm can breed and cross what ever animals they like to breed a specific type that suits their farm / market . For arable guys its here's your seed choice - take it or leave it !

 

[PSQ]

Anything that sat in 'overly moist' soil through winter didn't thrive at all in spring, and thats just it in a nutshell.
Crops grown on a slope are generally far better, anything on the flat, in hollows or with poor drainage is best described as 'a bit sh!t'. Local yields are poor with a merchant saying that typical yields are 1 to 1.5t/acre, variety doesn't appear to be a factor.

 

[SilliamWhale]

All the good sprays have been banned so everything and it’s aunty try’s too eat it?

For me it's not flea beetle so I don't think that is the driver

 

[SilliamWhale]

Anything that sat in 'overly moist' soil through winter didn't thrive at all in spring, and thats just it in a nutshell.
Crops grown on a slope are generally far better, anything on the flat, in hollows or with poor drainage is best described as 'a bit sh!t'. Local yields are poor with a merchant saying that typical yields are 1 to 1.5t/acre, variety doesn't appear to be a factor.

I agree that's a factor, I don't think it's the driver though.

Some of my fields are free draining. Obvs that's just individual experience as is my weather.

 

[fudge]

Anything that sat in 'overly moist' soil through winter didn't thrive at all in spring, and thats just it in a nutshell.
Crops grown on a slope are generally far better, anything on the flat, in hollows or with poor drainage is best described as 'a bit sh!t'. Local yields are poor with a merchant saying that typical yields are 1 to 1.5t/acre, variety doesn't appear to be a factor.

Completely right. On this marsh most rape was ripped out, most of those of us who persisted got half a crop. Overwhelming reason was water logging imo. SFI looks a steadier option, that's putting it as politely as I can.

 

[teslacoils]

Delicate breeding. All it's natural defenses bred out.

 

[fudge]

Delicate breeding. All it's natural defenses bred out.

In combination with being grown too often.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Doesn't like minging wet autumns/winters. Flea beetle probably nobbling a fair amount of plants nationally, further eating into the yields.

Used to have sprays that either worked, were available and the flea beetle issue was negated. In these circumstances it was a darling crop of the trade because of the insane spend on inputs chasing the yields- which many people in fairness, did achieve. And what is more, you lot didn't seem to mind paying for new seed and varieties every season without fail- all because chasing the rainbow was addictive. Totally understand.

Today, the risk in this crop is just plain nuts to do anything but sow non-dressed, home-saved seed and who the heck is going to put their hands in their pocket for all the pre-em/peri-em/post-em chemistry for a crop that might not make it to January for reasons utterly outside of your control? Nah mate, I'll wait until I have a crop before thinking about weed control rather than putting metazachlor about.

The stuff is a weed but unfortunately you haven't got any worthwhile chemistry for the other break crops. Might as well grow maize where you can.

 

[Clive]

Expensive seed bought, royalties paid, had a bit of a babying etc and yet it's pretty crap. I honestly think what you spend on it makes not much difference

Yields are lower than 20 years ago. The ground hasn't had excessive brassicas.

Yes the season wasn't great but wheat doesn't seem to throw up the variability of OSR.

What are the key factors? I think it's the breeding.

over breed to the point it’s like a race horse that needs prefect everything to perform

i think wheat varieties are going the same way, just slower

the RL methodology encourages this and is outdated in what farmers actually need from it

 

[teslacoils]

Tbh we were all chasing yield too. No breeder I can think of thought "what if we could breed an aggressive plant with real vigour that in the future UK growers will buy based on a yield of only 80 percent of the top varieties grown in optimum conditions."

Wouldn't sell would it.

Ah Winner, DK Excel, they were some bad ass plants.

 

[Clive]

Tbh we were all chasing yield too. No breeder I can think of thought "what if we could breed an aggressive plant with real vigour that in the future UK growers will buy based on a yield of only 80 percent of the top varieties grown in optimum conditions."

Wouldn't sell would it.

Ah Winner, DK Excel, they were some bad ass plants.

it would sell. ………. but as it would get nowhere nr the RL you would never even hear of its existence

take the BYDV resistance wheats for example - added reliability but RL plots are drowned weekly with insecticides so are not a fair real world comparison

it’s becoming an irrelevance imo

 

[Hampton]

Would be interested to see how Canberra would perform now.
dad never chucked much at it years ago

 

[fudge]

Dare I say colder winter weather was helpful to OSR? Winters have become warmer and wetter here. A warmer climate certainly suits the pests.

 

[Hindsight]

it would sell. ………. but as it would get nowhere nr the RL you would never even hear of its existence

take the BYDV resistance wheats for example - added reliability but RL plots are drowned weekly with insecticides so are not a fair real world comparison

it’s becoming an irrelevance imo

'Drowned weekly in insecticide' Have you read or asked of the trials protocol. That phrase Clive was more suited to George Monbiot or a Guardian article. Quite sad really. But there you go. Best wishes.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Dare I say colder winter weather was helpful to OSR? Winters have become warmer and wetter here. A warmer climate certainly suits the pests.

I am tempted to agree. Few articles about about later sowing too.

 

[Clive]

'Drowned weekly in insecticide' Have you read or asked of the trials protocol. That phrase Clive was more suited to George Monbiot or a Guardian article. Quite sad really. But there you go. Best wishes.

yes i have read the protocol and i understand how trails are paid for - they are zero tolerance on aphids and do not get paid if such issues affect results

as result these plots are "drowned in insecticides"

 

[fudge]

I am tempted to agree. Few articles about about later sowing too.

What puts me off later sowing is smaller plants are more vulnerable to pests and water logging. British farmers are quite resourceful, if there was a way of not growing crap OSR they would have found it.

 

[DrWazzock]

yes i have read the protocol and i understand how trails are paid for - they are zero tolerance on aphids and do not get paid if such issues affect results

as result these plots are "drowned in insecticides"

I agree. Trials are grown on the best land and pampered. I’ve always said they should do the trials here then it’d be a real demonstration of ability to cope with various stresses. That’s much more important than yield to me.