DSV showcases results of intensive breeding development at CEREALS 2021

• New candidate list topping Group 4 wheat
• New winter barley combines BYDV and BYMV traits
• Highest yielding Clearfield OSR variety
• Range of new OSR varieties coming forward

DSV is showcasing the results of recent intensive breeding development work with a range of new wheat, barley and oilseed rape varieties claiming some important ‘firsts’ for growers, says the company’s Sarah Hawthorne.

“We’ll be showing new traits, first ever combinations of traits and some list-topping high yielders that have been specifically bred for UK growing conditions.”
 

First of these is the new Group 4 hard wheat DSV Champion which has topped the 2021/22 AHDB Candidate List with a yield of 105.3% of control for the UK as a whole and 108% for the East, she says.

“Suited to a range of soil types and growing conditions, DSV Champion is the perfect ‘barn-busting’ choice for all locations and management approaches.

“DSV Champion is a sound choice for all UK wheat growers with a strong disease resistance package allied to the highest outright yield on the new list combined with one of the best untreated yields at 83% of control.

“It’s got a modern-day mix of features meaning it’s a great choice for low-input regenerative farming systems as well as ones focused on maximising outputs.

“The variety has an outstanding overall yield profile in both treated and untreated scenarios delivering the highest yield across both years of official trials.”

“DSV Champion comes from the same stable as DSV Theodore, the cleanest variety on the current RL with a Septoria resistance score of 8.3.

“DSV is the only company breeding wheat in the west of the country and this gives varieties like Champion and Theodore real UK-wide disease resistance and resilience.”
 

On the barley front, DSV Sensation is a high yielding and early maturing winter barley variety with tolerance to Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) and resistance to mosaic viruses (BYMV1 + 2), Sarah Hawthorne explains.

“DSV Sensation is one of the earliest heading BYDV varieties variety tested and has achieved strong results in European trials.

“Combining tolerance to BYDV and resistance to BYMV strains 1 and 2 is a real achievement of plant breeding and will be of real benefit to growers as such diseases take a greater hold in the UK.

“Recent revocation of many insecticides and growing resistance in the aphid vector population to the remaining chemistry we have at out disposal is meaning transmission of such viruses is increasingly difficult to control.

“Like with TuYV in oilseed rape, many entomologists and agronomists are very concerned about a significant rise in BYDV in the future and genetic tolerance is about the only effective way to control this.”

“In nearly all varieties the BYMV 1 resistance is standard but it is very unusual to have this combined with resistance to BYMV strain 2, especially with BYDV tolerance as well.”
 

DSV’s new Matrix CL marks a huge step forward in breeding innovation being the first ever oilseed rape variety to layer four complex traits together without compromising yield, says DSV’s Michael Farr.

Added to the AHDB Candidate List for 2021/22, the variety represents a significant advance in Clearfield winter oilseed rape and addresses many of the shortcomings of previous varieties, he believes.

“The introduction of Matrix CL allows the grower to choose powerful post emergence Clearfield chemistry without facing the potential drop in performance shown in the previous generations of varieties.

“The variety’s production figures are impressive to say the least. Matrix CL is one of a few varieties selected as a candidate for the whole of the UK making it suitable for growing in both the North, and East and West regions.”

But it’s performed particularly well in the East/West region where it has achieved a gross output of over 108% and an oil content of 46.0% overall, Michael Farr says.

“It’s definitively the highest yielding Clearfield variety currently available to UK growers but its superiority doesn’t stop there.

“Matrix CL is the first commercially available UK variety to combine Clearfield technology with TuYV resistance, pod shatter resistance and RLM7+ resistance to phoma stem canker. It’s got the best agronomic package seen in any Clearfield variety to date.”
 

Candidate-listed DSV Dart is a high yielder that has performed well across UK trials, but with particularly impressive results in the East and West regions with a gross output of 113% and an oil content of 45.7%, Sarah Hawthorne says.

“DSV Dart offers protection from the growing threat of TuYV as well as featuring RLM7+ multi-gene resistance to stem canker, strong verticillium wilt tolerance plus high resistance to light leaf spot with a score of 6.”

“It’s is also the first variety to carry DSV’s Harvest Max yield protection technology specifically developed to give a new level of defense against harvest challenges.

“By combining DSV’s longest and largest pods bred to date with new pod features alongside a short and compact canopy structure, DSV Dart can be quickly and efficiently combined with minimum seed loss.”
 

DSV Duplo is another exciting new variety featuring the highest vigour yet in a triple-layered oilseed rape making it a strong, high yielding variety suitable for all areas of the UK, she adds.

“DSV’s new Duplo oilseed rape has the highest vigour rating of all the company’s new triple layered varieties combining exceptional yields with a feature set designed to protect gross outputs against the challenges of modern-day production.

“Added to the AHDB Candidate List for 2021/22, DSV Duplo features an oil content of 46.8% and a yield of 109% for the East and West region plus RLM7+ multi-gene phoma stem canker resistance, turnip yellow virus (TUYV) resistance and pod shatter resistance, she says.

“It’s the perfect variety for modern production with real ‘get up and go’ in both the autumn and spring for the strongest competition against weed and pest threats, allied to an unbeatable agronomic package and yield potential.”
 

DSV’s development of high N-efficiency varieties also continues apace with the latest of these being DSV Duke, she adds.

“DSV Duke has already won the accolade of being the ADAS YEN’s best established crop in its 2020/21 initiative with a crop drilled on 25th August 2020 achieving the highest score for establishment at 89%.

“Added to the AHDB Candidate List for 2021/22, the variety has achieved significant success in several European countries and is a high yielding variety with excellent oil content of 45.6%.

“A triple layered variety, it has TuYV protection, pod-shatter resistance and the RLM7 gene for stem canker resistance which, added to its powerful autumn vigour, makes DSV Duke a must for growers planting into higher risk situations.

“With a very high N-efficiency supported by impressive scores this year thanks to its extensive rooting system, DSV Duke has also shown exceptional vigour in the spring, making a quick start to grow away from other varieties.”