Choose OSR varieties carefully this year and don’t delay ordering seed

“Fuelled by rapidly rising prices for the crop, concerns over availability of all foodstuffs, including sunflower oil from Ukraine, and rising levels of confidence in managing the crop post-neonicotinoids, oilseed rape is undergoing a significant resurgence.

“In fact, it’s not inconceivable that the UK oilseed rape area grown for harvest 2023 could reach 450,000ha – a near 30% increase over this year.

“Whilst this is a rare snippet of good news for UK growers against a backdrop of rapidly increasing input prices and devastating news from other parts of the world, it does mean some important decisions around oilseed rape need to be made now.

“In particular, producers wanting to get the most from their crops next year need to focus on the key attributes needed for this and order their seed early enough to secure varieties with these.

“Most modern hybrids yield well in an average year, so if high yield potential is a given, growers need to decide what other key varietal traits are needed to deliver the best performance in the current conditions.”

Three critical areas

From DSV’s perspective, three of the most important characteristics are rapid establishment, high nitrogen efficiency and solid agronomics, she says.

“The post-neonicotinoid era has reinforced the importance of high vigour in oilseed rape. Always a desirable attribute, it is now an absolutely critical one to ensure crops get away quickly and consistently.

“Rapidly establishing plants are better able to grow through pest problems, be they from flea beetles or pigeons, and also lay down the all-important roots that will help them cope with future stresses.

“DSV varieties, historically, have been high vigour choices and our current portfolio features some of Europe’s best establishing varieties. DSV Duplo, for example, was specifically fast-tracked into the UK market because of its exceptional vigour in a range of conditions.”

With nitrogen prices increasing rapidly in recent months and ongoing pressure to use this vital nutrient as carefully as possible in the future, efficiency of N utilisation is of increasing importance, she believes.

“Modern oilseed rape varieties are nearly 30% more nitrogen efficient than the highest yielders from just a few years ago. DSV trials show a number of factors are contributing to this.

“In fact, it’s a plant’s overall yield potential, resilience and the strength of its physical characteristics that make it able to use N more efficiently rather than it being any one specific feature of a variety. Deep roots and strong architecture are essential.

“Again, DSV Duplo has fared very well in trials with high levels of N-efficiency in evidence to ensure every kg of N applied works as hard as possible to produce yield with minimum waste.”

TuYV resistance has also been linked to high levels of N-efficiency in oilseed rape, but it’s also a key requirement for any modern production system, Ms Hawthorne adds.

“Numbers of virus-carrying aphids have grown considerably in recent years as use of appropriate insecticides to control them has fallen.

“With significant yield losses resulting from TuYV infection, the best way to avoid these is to select varieties with high levels of built-in resistance to the condition.

“A triple-layered variety like DSV Duplo also has RLM7+ phoma stem canker resistance combined with pod shatter resistance in addition to TuYV resistance.

“With the diminishing amount of chemistry available to growers now and in the future, such a level of disease protection is an essential foundation for growing a successful oilseed rape crop.”

Clearfield option

With DSV Matrix CL being the highest yielding Clearfield variety on the current AHDB Recommended List and new DSV Beatrix CL on the 2022 Candidate List, DSV has powerful options for growers looking at Clearfield technology, Ms Hawthorne comments.

“DSV Matrix CL is DSV’s first quad-layered variety to join the RL, combining Clearfield technology with turnip yellow virus (TUYV), RLM7+ phoma stem canker and pod shatter resistances.

“Recommended for the whole of the UK, the variety achieves 99% of control yield giving it a treated gross output of just over 5t/ha which is exceptional for a Clearfield variety, especially as it also delivers an oil content of 45.8%.

“It gets an 8 for phoma stem canker resistance, a 6 for light leaf spot and 8s for resistance to lodging and stem stiffness, so it’s a good all-round reliable performer.

“DSV Beatrix CL has the same complementary package of traits as Matrix CL, namely RLM7+ stem canker resistance, TuYV Protection, Pod Shatter Resistance and Clearfield technology, and has really strong production performance too.

“On the current candidate list, DSV Beatrix CL has high yields with a good oil content at 45.2%. It has a height of 132cm coupled with robust resistance to lodging at 9 and a stem stiffness score of 8, plus it is relatively early to mature.

“DSV Beatrix CL has good winter hardiness combined with strong early and spring vigour making it a variety that establishes well and picks up quickly in the spring to build high yields and high quality.

“But whatever your oilseed rape choice, if you want to arm yourself with the best options for harvest 2023, make sure you get your order in early.”