BSPB Descriptive List welcomes twelve new forage maize varieties

New entrants on the 2024 Favourable First Choice List include Skipper and Foxtrot from Limagrain, Faith, Emeleen, Crosbey and ES Palladium from Grainseed, as well as SY Silverbull from Syngenta.

Meanwhile, RGT Easixx and RGT Bluefoxx (RAGT), KWS Resolvo (KWS), Glencoe and LG31207 (Limagrain) have been added to the Favourable Second Choice List, with the latter also featuring on the Very Favourable DL.

Whereas, varieties on the Less Favourable First Choice List include Skipper, Faith and SY Silverbull, while Foxtrot, RGT Easixx, RGT Bluefoxx and KWS Resolvo have been added to the Less Favourable Second Choice List.

Explaining how each List differs, Jeremy Widdowson, BSPB’s Variety Trials co-ordinator, said: “The Favourable DL uses trial data from sites with the longest potential growing season, with warmer spring soils for early establishment. Trials data from Less Favourable sites show the performance of varieties in shorter, cooler growing seasons.

“The Very Favourable DL is produced from specific trials sites where breeders choose to test later maturing varieties with highest yield potential and suitable for producers growing to maximise yield as a feedstock for anaerobic digesters where sites have a long growing season and very favourable conditions.”

Of the new earlier maturing varieties, Faith is the highest yielding on the Favourable DL at 19.0 t DM/ha, with a metabolisable energy (ME) yield of 222 kMJ/ha and a starch yield of 6.47 t/ha. Skipper and Foxtrot are not far behind in yield at 18.8 and 18.7 t DM/ha respectively, with an ME yield of 221 kMJ/ha for Skipper and 222 kMJ/ha for Foxtrot.

Based on limited data, all three varieties show some susceptibility to eyespot, so may be less suitable in damper growing conditions.

Also on the Favourable DL, ES Palladium stands out as the highest yielding of the later maturity varieties at 19.4 t DM/ha with a metabolisable energy (ME) yield of 223 kMJ/ha.

Of the Less Favourable DL varieties, Skipper, Foxtrot and RGT Easixx sit just behind Faith with a yield of 18.5 t DM/ha at 35.2% DM, starch at 34.5% and good early vigour. The starch yield for Skipper at 6.62 t/ha is good and, based on limited data, SY Silverbull has an eyespot rating of 6.1 which is the highest of the new varieties for this List.

The sole newcomer to the Very Favourable DL, LG31207, has a dry matter yield at 18.7 t DM/ha with good ME yield, good early vigour and good standing power. The ME yield is an important factor for achieving high biogas yields.

The BSPB 2024 Forage Maize Descriptive Lists are available to download from the BSPB and NIAB websites.