How can farmers protect OSR yields through harvest and make margins profitable?

Kurtis Scarboro, arable development officer at Limagrain, said that almost all of the costs of growing the crop have been spent by this stage, so it makes sense to protect yield potential right through to the end of the growing season.  

Pod shatter is a natural process for seed dispersion in oilseed rape, however, on farms, it can result in significant seed loss through heavy wind, rain, hailstones, or the combine passing through the crop. 

Mr Scarboro added: “POSH resistance also helps to provide some flexibility in the timing of the harvest. It also cuts down the number of volunteers in the following crop, easing the burden of weed control. 

“The most effective option for preventing pod shatter is a genetic trait, so it can’t be influenced throughout the season – making varietal choice very important.” 

Clear benefits 

However, pod shatter is not an either/ or trait, but one that can be quantified by the force required to break a ripe pod, the expert pointed out.  

He added that Limagrain precisely quantifies pod shatter resistance (POSH) using lab-based techniques, where the force required to shatter the pod is measured. This clearly shows that not all POSH resistant varieties offer the same level of resistance. 

“All Limagrain hybrids contain the trait, and we constantly monitor the efficacy of our pod shatter resistance against other commercial varieties so we can be confident in our claims that the variety really is pod shatter resistant. 

“The benefits of robust pod shatter resistance were clearly seen in an exceptionally wet and windy 2023; July saw one of the wettest and windiest months on record for the last 188 years, followed by the windiest day for the last 55 years.

“While some oilseed rape crops were devastated, others appeared relatively unscathed, and this undoubtedly comes down to robust pod shatter resistance,” Mr Scarboro concluded. 

Valuable crop 

Joe Bayford of Keyston Farms said he places great value on the trait and will not grow a variety that does not have pod shatter resistance. Farming over 600ha’s near Huntingdon, he believes that if it is possible to get a decent oilseed rape crop this close to harvest, then it is critical to protect the yield all the way to the trailer. 

Despite reducing the area grown, oilseed rape remains an important crop at Keyston.  

Mr Bayford added: “We are only growing about half of what we used to, but we still find oilseed rape a valuable crop in the rotation behind either spring or winter barley. 

“He moved over to hybrids from coventionals about six years ago and has seen as much as a 0.5t/ha yield benefit in doing so, which he puts down to genetic traits such as pod shatter.   

“If we can get around 3t/ha for the crop, then we are still making money, anything less than that and it starts to drag down the gross margin. 

“On the advice of Jonathan Payne of Nickersons, we grew Aurelia and Attica and this year we are trying LG Armada, which again is looking very good and another step on in genetics and yield improvement . 

“We have noticed with LG hybrids when we rub the pods out to test for moisture before harvesting, they are much more stubborn to pull apart – even with a hailstorm in 2021 the seed did not shed, whereas some local crops did.” 

To beat the beetle 

The farmer also noted that he always applies pod stick, believing it is relatively cheap extra insurance.  

He said that establishing the crop has become a whole different ball game to beat the beetle. 

“The rape always follows a spring or winter barley with the aim to get drilled by the end of July/first week of August, conditions willing.  

“The aim is to have a well-established crop in the autumn, so by the spring it’s big enough that emerging flea beetles are feeding on the stems and not on the growing points of the plant. 

“Last year we managed to drill most of the crop in the first week of August, until rain stopped play. A week later we were back in action, but this later drilled crop hasn’t coped as well.” 

“We adapted our Horsch Sprinter tine drill by taking out every second tine, working on 12 rather than 24 tines so we are effectively working on 50cm rows, doubling the seed rate per row.  

“The seed comes primed with a phosphite and phosphate dressing as well as being polymer coated and dressed with Integral-Pro, all of which gives the seed that extra kick. – any gains at this stage can mean the difference between a crop and not a crop. 

“We also put 150kg DAP down the drill, significantly improving the seed to fertiliser contact,” the farmer concluded. 

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