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“ I’m optimistic
that we’ve seen the
low mark in total area
grown.
”
Little steps to a
buying, better selling potential big profit
Technical Better
Record values for oilseed has been a bit more positive for the some flexibility into picking when you want
crop in the field, as well as in the trading to drill rather than being forced into a
rape this spring must market. While there are still some poor drilling period with a later harvested
provoke a bittersweet crops, many more established successfully winter wheat crop.”
than in recent seasons and have come The next step is trying to create
response for many growers. through looking reasonable. conditions which are optimal for the
But doing the little things “With those forward values I’m optimistic oilseed rape to grow, and sub-optimal
that we should have seen the low mark in for flea beetles to thrive. “We know
could make the crop a total area grown, subject to how the crop flea beetles like dry conditions, open
big earner on farm again. performs at harvest,” says Phil. unconsolidated cloddy seedbeds, which
Any increase, however, will likely is the exact opposite of the optimum for
CPM seeks advice. be relatively small, he suggests, and oilseed rape.
reliant on a favourable weather window “So the least soil you can disturb during
By Mike Abram establishment the better –– that will
▲
around establishment in those areas where
flea beetle challenges are highest.
As oilseed rape prices broke record Flea beetle challenge
after record in May, it would be Successfully overcoming the flea beetle
understandable if more growers had challenge is akin to that used to tackle
another look at the crop for the coming blackgrass, suggests Duncan Durno,
season –– either to increase area or Openfield’s arable technical manager.
bring it back into the rotation. “We’ve had success controlling
Those forward prices of over £400/t blackgrass by implementing programmes
mean there isn’t much to rival oilseed rape combining lots of cultural control methods
as a break crop for gross margin on together, and I think we need a similar
paper, assuming they stick, notes Philip approach with flea beetle.”
Crowther, head of inputs at Openfield. That starts with previous cropping
Unfortunately, land isn’t farmed on and thinking about how best to take
paper, and in the field the cabbage advantage of any weather window to
stem flea beetle challenges, and those drill and establish the crop in favourable Any increase in oilseed rape area this autumn is
of establishment in general remain, conditions. “The best way is having as dependent on a favourable weather window
he stresses. wide a window as possible. Winter barley around establishment, says Phil Crowther.
Generally though, the current season is a good lead into oilseed rape to put
24 crop production magazine june 2021
Better buying, better selling
Seven of the best – Openfield’s key choices for 2021/22
There’s more choice than ever for the coming package, increases the chance of success.
season, and many worthy options don’t feature It has a wide drilling window, giving flexibility,
on the AHDB Recommended List. CPM sought and with strong stem stiffness and lodging
Duncan Durno’s views on the prime varieties to resistance it’s a great option for exposed sites.
consider, and asked their respective breeders to
Duplo
highlight the key features.
Duncan: Duplo also has excellent early vigour,
LG Ambassador but its slightly earlier development characteristics
Duncan: Ambassador is the joint highest yielding make it less suitable for the very early drilling
UK variety on the RL at 108% of controls for gross dates. TuYV resistance is a key trait to look for.
output. It has good stem stiffness, the Rlm7 It’s another hybrid, and it’s nicely up in the
phoma resistance gene, pod shatter resistance candidate pack for gross output, with both
and has turnip yellows virus resistance. turnip yellows virus and pod shatter resistance.
It fits all those criteria of risk management, A candidate for next year’s RL, drill from around
flexibility and top end yield, which we try to fit mid-August.
into all the varieties we select. Sarah Hawthorne (DSV): Duplo’s our most
Liam Wilkinson (Limagrain): Ambassador has powerful, fastest establishing hybrid across
proven performance on farm and in trials over a Europe. It does particularly well in difficult growing
number of seasons. It’s probably the variety to conditions –– it has a deep rooting system, which
beat in terms of performance in the UK. helps in drought conditions.
It has a wide drilling window from end of It also has our new trait –– N efficiency, which
If you’re drilling early, you’re looking for a
second week of August to end of September. It combines a number of physical characteristics
variety that will be stiff stemmed.
also has the N-flex characteristic with enhanced such as root development, plant architecture and
nitrogen use efficiency giving another level of drought tolerance to ensure the variety is able to
security to growers. make as much use as possible of every kg of
N applied.
DK Excited
Duncan: DK Excited is one of only two Amarone
TuYV-resistant varieties commercially available Duncan: For growers looking for a conventional
from the Dekalb brand. It doesn’t sit within the variety, Amarone is another candidate for
RL system, but through Bayer’s breeder trials it’s next season’s RL. It’s the highest yielding
at the top end of yield. It fits pretty much all our conventional candidate variety. It also has TuYV
key criteria, and gives choice to growers. resistance and is at the upper end of vigour
Again, it has the Rlm7 phoma gene, pod for conventional varieties, so again if you’re Some varieties have the Rlm7 phoma-resistance
shatter and TUYV resistance, with better stem drilling in that very early August slot, the TuYV gene while others rely on polygenic resistance.
stiffness than we used to see from some of the resistance is vital and this is stiff enough in the
DK varieties. stem to drill at that time. Matrix CL
Matthew Clarke (Bayer): The reason we have Liam Wilkinson (Limagrain): Amarone gives Duncan: Matrix is a new candidate Clearfield
such confidence in DK Excited’s yielding ability is good performance across the UK. It’s one of the variety. It’s brought Clearfield yields up into the
that within our breeding and development trials quickest developing conventional varieties in the pack with other non-Clearfield hybrids. It also has
network it has been our highest performing variety autumn, which makes it very well suited for early improved vigour, which other Clearfield hybrids
across our European network. drilling from last week of July to middle of have struggled with compared with other hybrids,
It has a really wide drilling window and September. so it’s upped the Clearfield game.
would be fine to drill early in terms of its growth
Aardvark It also has Rlm7 phoma resistance, pod shatter
characteristics. resistance and is the first Clearfield variety with
Duncan: An alternative conventional variety,
Tennyson Aardvark, is more vigorous. It has good disease TuYV resistance.
Duncan: Tennyson from Elsoms is a very high resistance, especially light leaf spot, but not TuYV Sarah Hawthorne (DSV): A candidate for the
yielding candidate hybrid variety. Good vigour, resistance, so you would be increasing your risk whole of the UK, Matrix is the highest yielding
good spring growth, very strong disease if you put it into an earlier drilling slot. Clearfield variety ever to be bred. It’s the first
resistance including a nine for phoma, which is Aardvark is better suited as a second variety Clearfield variety with all four key traits –– Rlm7,
not reliant on Rlm7. Instead it has polygenic if you’re planning to drill later or around two pod shatter, TuYV resistance and Clearfield.
resistance, which makes it less likely to be separate rain events perhaps. The addition of TuYV resistance to a Clearfield
overcome by resistance. Liam Wilkinson (Limagrain): Aardvark has the variety is a big step forward. UK TuYV infection
Jack Holgate (Elsoms): With its excellent best disease-resistance package of the Limagrain levels have hit 90% in recent years with
disease package combined with TuYV resistance, conventionals. It has a six for phoma which is colleagues in Europe reporting yield losses as
Tennyson is an ideal lower risk variety for the based on quantitative gene resistances, and a high as 20% when the virus really takes hold.
east and west regions. Yield is important, but is seven for light leaf spot. This spring you could really spot the varieties that
insignificant if you can’t get the crop established. It’s early flowering, has good stem stiffness didn’t have resistance.”
Tennyson, with its impressive vigour and disease and is very vigorous with consistent performance. For more on Matrix, see Insiders View on p36.
26 crop production magazine june 2021
Better buying, better selling
crop, which usually is the
second half of August.
“A companion crop of white
mustard which is quicker out of
the ground than oilseed rape
might be better protecting
seedling oilseed rape if you’re
drilling slightly later.
“But that would need to be
drilled with a Clearfield variety
to remove the mustard before
it created too much crop
competition, and to reduce
the risk from erucic acid
contamination,” says Duncan.
Successfully overcoming flea beetle Both seedbed nutrition and
will require the same system of the use of biostimulant seed
combining lots of cultural controls treatments also have a role in
as used against blackgrass, says helping the crop establish
Duncan Durno. quickly to reduce the risk
from adult flea beetle attack,
conserve moisture and he adds.
▲
But there’s no point putting The online Seed Selector tool allows you to compare varieties from
generally be more consolidated.
all those measures in place Openfield’s portfolio based on individual specific needs.
“The more trash or longer
stubble you can leave also without choosing a variety
makes it less favourable with the vigour, speed of variety that will be stiff stemmed while spring vigour and ability
conditions for flea beetle,” establishment and growth as they can get reasonably to grow back if larvae attack is
says Duncan. habit to take advantage, forward, and have turnip also a requirement that is
That tends to favour direct stresses Duncan. yellows virus (TuYV) resistance sought after.
drilling as the best establishment That’s why the team at as aphids will migrate sooner To help growers with
technique, although subsoilers Openfield spend time into earlier drilled crops.” decisions, Openfield has
with lower disturbance legs are understanding the key Hybrids tend to have the developed an online Seed
still an option, he says. characteristics growers will most vigour, he notes, and their Selector tool, which allows you
Companion cropping is require for success and put stem strength has been to select varieties from
another potential part of a together a portfolio of varieties improved, which allows them Openfield’s portfolio based on
programme of measures. that will fulfil those. With many to be drilled earlier than individual specific needs.
“It has two potential roles –– varieties to choose from both previously. Good disease “It can be accessed via our
attracting adult beetles away on and off the AHDB resistance is also an important members’ Insight intranet site,”
from the crop at establishment Recommended List, the characteristic for earlier drilling, says Phil. ■
and preventing the beetles portfolio is selected to narrow
recognising the established down options for members, Better buying, better selling
crop to lay eggs resulting while maintaining choice and
in a larval problem later in flexibility. To remain at the forefront of farmers. Openfield’s team works
the season.” arable farming and to maximise with a total of 6000 farmers to
Both white mustard and Key characteristics the value from every hectare of supply some of the biggest and
buckwheat have been shown “We start to look at varieties crop grown requires a keen best-known names in the British
to reduce larval numbers, early in the breeder trials, even understanding of the grain food and drink manufacturing
he says, but at the point of before National Listing in some market, the seed to supply it, industry.
establishment buckwheat cases, and bring them into our and the fertiliser to feed the But there’s more than just
doesn’t provide much cover as own trials to look for the key crop. Through this series of grain to Openfield, supplying
it emerges at the same time characteristics and traits, articles, CPM is working with seed and fertiliser, providing
or slightly slower than the including yield, as well as Openfield to provide a market grain storage and offering expert
oilseed rape. “But when it is using as many other sources insight and help farmers to advice on grain marketing and
established, it does provide of information as possible,” focus on these major business risk management. This delivers
some disguise to prevent explains Duncan. decisions to ensure innovative supply chain solutions
beetles moving into a bigger In the current climate, better buying of inputs, and to its farmers and clients.
crop. varieties that can be drilled better selling of the produce.
“If you’re drilling early, early, but still have plenty of Openfield is Britain’s only
buckwheat could make a good vigour to be established later national farming grain-marketing
companion crop, as you’re in drilling windows are key and arable inputs co-operative,
trying to drill before the adult requirements. “If you’re drilling owned by over 4000 arable
flea beetles migrate into the early, you’re also looking for a
28 crop production magazine june 2021
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