Arable News

AMBIENT FAO 120/130 is making a strong impression across the UK as the earliest maturing maize variety currently available, potentially among the earliest worldwide. Its ultra-early maturity, combined with rapid early development, is giving growers a powerful tool to manage increasingly tight and unpredictable growing seasons.

DOMPTEUR was drilled at the end of August on Heathcote farms, along with other leading oilseed rape varieties. It was drilled at 2.60 kilos a hectare, along with 4.67 kilos of cover crop. Andrew Robinson, Farms Director at Heathcote Farms, explained that he aims to establish about 30 to 35 plants per square metre. “I actually don't want it too thick for us. We want to get that side branch and it's really important,” he explains. 

As the maize planting season approaches, the decision to select early-maturing varieties becomes increasingly critical for dairy farmers, especially considering the challenges presented by recent weather variability.

DSV UK takes a strong position on the AHDB 2026/27 Recommended List with the new provisional Group 1 wheat Arlington joining the line-up and hybrid oilseed rape Dompteur the highest-yielding OSR variety on the list.

New developments in phoma stem canker resistance could add to the growing confidence in UK oilseed rape and significantly increase the resilience of the crop, believes Sarah Hawthorne of DSV. 

Winter oilseed rape crops across much of the UK have established exceptionally well this season. Early drilling into warm seedbeds, followed by an open, mild autumn, has driven rapid root and leaf development. Many crops are now notably forward moving into November, with a large proportion sitting comfortably at—or beyond—the 8-leaf stage.

The 2025 maize season has given UK growers both relief and frustration in equal measure. An early start and rapid ripening brought the earliest widespread harvests in years, yet below-average rainfall, localised drought, and uneven crop development have kept expectations firmly in check.

We’re seeing everything from crops drilled in early August, now at 7–8 true leaves, to later-drilled crops from mid-to-late September that are only just showing their first true leaf. 

It seems a long time ago now, but harvest went exceptionally well this year , a welcome relief after such a busy season. 

The UK is experiencing one of its earliest maize harvests in recent memory due to a warm spring and early planting. 

Oilseed rape (OSR) crops across the country are showing a stark contrast this autumn.

DSV’s Champion winter wheat has been named one of the top varieties on the Irish Department of Agriculture’s 2026 Recommended List 

Arable growers should not rule out sowing oilseed rape (OSR) into September, with trials showing later drilling can deliver strong establishment and yield benefits if the right variety and preparations are in place, says DSV UK

New DSV Dompteur is the highest yielding OSR variety in four year-results in the final AHDB harvest results for 2025, DSV Cognac tops the one year results and DSV Cromputer CR is the highest yielding clubroot option.

New DSV Dompteur is living up its top spot for yield on the 2025 winter oilseed rape candidate list with impressive four-year results in the latest AHDB harvest results published on August 6th.

DSV's new phomablocker oilseed rape variety Cognac tops the AHDB one-year harvest results published on 6th August at 110% of controls - some 3% higher than the variety in second spot.

Current high prices for oilseed rape, a shortage of the UK-grown crop for crushers and the need for growers to find profitable options to cereals in the rotation are together fuelling renewed interest in Spring sown oilseed rape.

After several challenging years, OSR is becoming a crop easily overlooked by many growers but with a potentially much reduced threat of CSFB, strong rotational benefits and the best genetics ever at their disposal, is it time for a rethink?

Yellow rust is a highly dynamic pathogen that is constantly changing and developing new strains, all of which are potentially capable of affecting plants to lesser or greater degrees.

Oilseed rape growers moving on from HEAR varieties following reduced demand and a reduction in contracts available would be wise to consider growing Clearfield oilseed rape, says Sarah Hawthorne of DSV UK Ltd.

While few could ignore the problems many growers have experienced with growing oilseed rape since the neonicotinoid ban, there are still many good reasons to consider giving the crop a place in future rotations, says DSV's Sarah Hawthorne.

A new high quality bread-making wheat and the highest yielding oilseed rape on the 2025 candidate list were some of the new varieties previewed by DSV UK at Cereals 2025.

Despite the 2024's challenging conditions, DSV Champion has had a highly successful year in both official trials and on-farm with its yield of 107% of controls on the latest AHDB 2025/26 RL underlining this, says DSV UK's Sarah Hawthorne.

As the UK’s climate becomes more and more unpredictable, the country’s dairy farmers are increasingly looking to maize as a means of boosting variable winter forage production from hard-hit grassland.

Growing numbers of UK arable producers are discovering the benefits of maize in the rotation with low-input agronomy, reduced nitrogen requirement and an expanding biogas sector amongst the many factors driving its popularity.

DSV Champion has topped the Irish Department of Agriculture’s 2025 recommended list for winter wheat with a yield of 107% of controls, nearly 5% ahead of the average for the country’s currently recommended varieties.

Hard Group 4 wheat DSV Champion continues to lead the latest 2024 AHDB Harvest Results published on September 6th with the highest yield for both 2024 and the five-year average yield.

Reduced disease pressure resulting in average yield increases of between 0.5 to 0.8t/ha been seen in trials drilling where oilseed rape was drilled into September, says DSV oil crops product management lead Simon Kröger.

Choose a variety with appropriate vigour, get your seedbed preparation right and pay attention to achieving the right plant population if you’re drilling into September, says Sarah Hawthorne of DSV UK Ltd.

Hard Group 4 wheat DSV Champion tops the latest 2024 AHDB Harvest Results published on August 30th with a yield 112% of control, some 2% ahead of the next RL variety.

DSV, one of Europes leading Oilseedrape Breeding companies carries out besides pure variety testing trials also production technology trials for different purposes. Late Drilling Trials are a key element of this strategy and take place now for several years already.

Tighter rotations, greater production of field-scale vegetables and increased use of cover crops combined with the recent wet weather are making clubroot more of a problem than ever for Scottish OSR growers.

DSV UK's Sarah Hawthorne says DSV Cromputer CR is one of the latest varieties helping to bridge the gap between clubroot protected and other varieties, in many cases outyielding them.

In DSV trials in Dyngby in Denmark, for example, on a scale of 0 - 10 with 0 being excellent resistance with no phoma spotting in evidence and 10 being high susceptibility to Phoma, varieties without any qualitative resistance showed an average score of 7.5 with a range of 6.5 to 8.5.

New oilseed rape genetics being developed by DSV are building on traditional pod shatter characteristics to increase harvest security in light of increasingly variable growing conditions now experienced across Europe.

Developing varieties able to consistently deliver high performance in a climate change future requires a focus on the physical properties needed to build resilience into plants but also makes improved disease resistance a priority too, say DSV.

While few could ignore the problems many growers have experienced with growing oilseed rape since the neonicotinoid ban, there are still many good reasons to consider giving it a place in future rotations, says DSV's Sarah Hawthorne.

An 11.5t/ha crop of DSV Champion produced from just 120kgN/ha prompted Lincolnshire-based Geo. H. Bowser Ltd to increase its acreage of this popular Group 4 hard feed variety for the 2024 harvest.

DSV will be showcasing its latest PhomaBlocker and Powerful Pods oilseed rape varieties at Cereals 2024 alongside its new super clean wheat DSV Diamond and its portfolio of maize, forage and alternative crop options.

The company's UK breeding programme, based at Wardington in Oxfordshire and responsible for DSV Champion, currently the Guinness world record holder for wheat yield, is now also making progress with milling specification varieties.

New oilseed rape genetics being developed by DSV are building on traditional pod shatter characteristics to increase harvest security in light of increasingly variable growing conditions now experienced across Europe.