Growing oilseed rape only on ground that will give it the best chance to thrive, optimising nutrition and managing drilling dates carefully, is critical to establishing the crop successfully, says Sentry Ltd’s business director John Barrett. Responsible for farms throughout East Anglia and the South East, he believes Clearfield technology can also help significantly in terms of the crop’s early management.

Modern oilseed rape varieties are nearly 30% more Nitrogen efficient than the highest yielders from just a few years ago, a series of trials in Germany has shown. With Nitrogen utilisation increasingly in the spotlight, the trials highlight a number of factors contribute to a plant’s ability to make better use of nutrients and cannot be tied to a specific gene.

New DSV Voltage’s top gross margin in both UK and East & West HGCA 20/21 candidate lists combined with agronomic features optimised for modern low-input production could make it a future game-changer, says the company’s Sarah Hawthorne.

A gross margin of 108.1 % of control in the key East and West region, oil content of 45.5%, TuYV resistance plus the highest light leaf spot score of all new candidates, makes it a near perfect option for growers, she believes.

Seed breeders DSV have three new high performance grasses on the new 2020/21 RL including the highest yielding variety on the list capable of producing 35t/ha DM over its two-year recommended rotation.

June is an exciting time for a wheat breeder as diseases spread across the breeding nursery and plants reach their full height. I usually spend most of June on the road, taking notes on the appearance of each breeding line at various sites around the UK. I also have material growing at a few sites in France and at our breeding station in Germany but I shall have to give those a miss this year due to the travel restrictions in place.