Agrochemicals and seeds company Bayer says its new high-oil-content rapeseed variety could be one of the most profitable to grow after taking into account the oil price bonus.

The variety InVigor 1030 is coming up for inclusion in the AHDB Recommended Lists later this year in both the East/West and North regions to follow on from the group’s Harper and Fencer varieties.

The variety has the highest oil content of any candidate or fully recommended oilseed rape variety at 46.8% in the East/West region and 46.2% in the North region.

Sarah Middleton, Bayer’s product manager for seeds and traits, says the higher oil content gives the variety an advantage over many other oilseed rape varieties, included its own Fencer.

See also: Oilseed rape growers get non-metazachlor option

“Because of its high oil content, the variety will be one of the most profitable to grow,” she tells Farmers Weekly.

With a 46.2% oil content, the variety gives an oil bonus of £142/ha at a rapeseed price of £270/t to give a total income of £1,669/ha, compared with Fencer’s oil content of 45.8% which will give an income of £1,507/ha.

Oil contents are calculated at an extra 1.5% on the price of rapeseed for every 1% of oil content above a standard 40%.

The variety also has good resistance to light leaf spot with a 7 score and a 9 for phoma in a 1-9 rating system, where 1 is low resistance and 9 high resistance. There are no recommended current varieties above a 7 for light leaf spot.

This could be Bayer’s third oilseed rape variety to be recommended after Harper and Fencer, which both show good resistance to phoma (scoring 8s).

The new variety has performed particularly well in the North region as it has the top gross output of the candidate varieties, while Bayer stresses it will also have a role in the East/West due to its good agronomic characteristics and high oil content.

Bayer says there should be enough seed available to meet potential demand from growers for this autumn.

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