First-time Mayflower grower “delighted” with crop performance
7th September 2023
Northants farmer Emma Bletsoe was reassured in her decision to drill Mayflower last year, a Group 2 winter wheat from Elsoms Seeds, following the crop’s positive performance bucking recent trends of sliding Hagbergs and low specific weights for milling wheats.
Emma’s best individual field of Mayflower achieved a yield of 11.18tha.
Ms Bletsoe, who farms 490 ha of combinable crops on heavy clay soils, alongside son George and farm manager Stuart Prior at Denford Ash Farm near Kettering, achieved average yields of 10.62t/ha on a 29.38ha crop of Mayflower cut between 10th – 16th August at moisture levels of 13-15%.
On the back of these encouraging results, she now plans to drill at least 60ha of the Elsoms variety later this autumn.
“After a stop-start harvest we were delighted with Mayflower’s overall results with one field, in particular, yielding an excellent 11.18t/ha,” she said. “Stuart noted that it combined extremely well, producing a nice bold grain with early samples confirming a high Hagberg of 335-368 and an overall specific weight of 78kg/hl.”
Ms Bletsoe added it was her son’s decision to go with Mayflower last year, based on the variety’s high untreated yield figure of 93% on the Recommended List as well as an excellent disease resistance package.
As part of the farm’s integrated pest management strategy for blackgrass control, Mayflower was drilled a bit later in the season between 5th and 12th October. According to Ms Bletsoe, the crop established well as a first wheat following winter beans, showing good early vigour.
“In mid-February we began our Nitrogen strategy with 248kg/ha of Piamon 33N – a granular urea nitrogen fertiliser with sulphur that is well suited to earlier timed applications. This was followed by 140kg/ha of Urea applied in early March, before a final application of Ammonium Nitrate at 110kg/ha which went on between April 27th and May 3rd.
“Following advice from our independent agronomist, Damian MacAuley of Indigro, we went with a 3-spray fungicide program consisting of a T1, T2 and T3 spray.
“At T2, we included the plant growth regulator Terpal (mepiquat chloride + 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid) in the tank mix for additional insurance, and, by late May, the Mayflower was standing well and looking very clean despite high disease pressure earlier in the spring,” she explained.
Resilience amid weather challenges
George Goodwin, Head of Technical at breeder Elsoms Seeds
Elsoms Head of technical, George Goodwin, is delighted with the uptake in interest on Mayflower and has received positive feedback for the variety in a year which has proved agronomically very challenging for milling wheats.
“There’s little doubt that this year’s challenges have had an impact on harvest. Many farmers have frustratingly navigated a stop-start harvest which has negatively affected both yield and quality.”
Mr Goodwin pointed out that cool wet weather this spring meant that crops were less resilient to endure weeks of hot and dry conditions in what has been the UK’s hottest June on record. At the same time, the weather challenges proved to be an excellent opportunity to showcase Mayflower’s resilience compared to other varieties.
“Mayflower is a strong tillering variety with vigorous spring growth that has enabled it to emerge through a tricky season better than many other group 2 varieties,” he explained.
“Partnered with exceptional disease resistance and genetic disposition for high protein, Mayflower continues to grow in popularity catching the eye of many progressive farmers. The buzz of positive news around its performance this year should give growers reassurance that they’ve made the right choice.”
In the context of high input costs and reducing reliance on chemicals, Mr Goodwin added: “With its very high untreated yield there’s a good opportunity for growers to reduce fungicide inputs for greater cost efficiency, and, on marketing, beyond its bread making qualities, Mayflower is also suitable for export.”
