Incentive tops oilseed rape variety RL tables

Four new winter winter oilseed rape varieties are added to the Recommended List, two hybrids and two conventional varieties. Adam Clarke and David Jones look at which could be the winners

The standout oilseed rape addition looks like being DSV’s new hybrid variety Incentive, which tops both East/West and also the North Recommended List regional tables.

It is the first variety to do so for several years and offers a high gross output of 105% in the East/West and 107% in the North, where it is the only addition this year.

Barry Barker at Agrii believes that any variety that can top both lists will attract attention from growers looking to push up their yields.

The DSV variety is rated a 6 for light leaf spot resistance and this will prove useful as a score of 6 or above is a prerequisite for the northern region, while the disease is becoming more prevalent across Britain.

“It will generate some major interest in the East/West region for autumn 2014 and I can see it taking around 10% of the market,” says Mr Barker.

“Typically, varieties are slower to be adopted up in the North and it could take a year or so before it gets a foothold in Scotland,” he adds.

David Leaper of Openfield says the DSV variety shows a high oil content with the only weakness being a lowly 4 scoring for phoma stem canker.

“It will be a significant variety and has done well to top the table in both regions,” he says.

David Waite of Frontier says the variety will be a useful variety based on its high output and with a good light leaf spot rating for northern growers.

The second hybrid, Harper, marks the first time that Bayer CropScience have a variety on the Recommended Lists.

It gives a gross output of 103%, behind Incentive’s 105%, but seed trade experts say what it lacks in gross output it makes up for with a phoma rating of 9, albeit on limited data, and earlier maturity.

Mr Barker says that its spring vigour in trials this year caught his eye and could be something that will attract growers, and he sees it as a big seller.

Mr Leaper says: “The variety is quite competitive, has a very good phoma score and is a consistent performer.”

With two conventional varieties making the list, it marks a good year for open pollinating varieties and both newcomers leapfrog over last year’s leading hybrids PT211 and PR46W21.

The pick of the two is Trinity from Elsoms, which has one of the highest gross outputs of the conventional varieties at 104%, with a disease rating of 5 for light leaf spot and 6 for phoma.

“Trinity is a strong conventional variety, with early maturity and high oil content, and moderately good disease resistance,” says Mr Leaper.

Mr Barker believes that Trinity will see a wide interest, with a strong “all round” package, including high oil content.

The second conventional, Charger from the KWS stable, has a slightly higher gross output than Trinity at 105%.

Mr Barker says that the gross output figure will sell Charger, but the limiting factor will be its disease ratings of 4 for both phoma and light leaf spot.

“Phoma can be managed quite easily, but as light leaf spot becomes a wider problem, there are stronger choices from a resistance point of view,” he says.

Mr Waite says he believes Trinity has the edge between the two conventionals due to its better disease resistance ratings.

A noticeable absentee from the list is semi-dwarf variety PX109 from DuPont Pioneer, which would have added another choice for semi-dwarf enthusiasts.

Mr Barker was also surprised that old favourite Excalibur has dropped off the list as it is still very popular and represents around 10-12% of the market.

“In my opinion it should be on there because it remains a benchmark for many growers and has been a consistent performer over the years,” he says.

Mr Barker adds that the rules may need revisiting to accommodate varieties such as Excalibur that maintain a large market share.

SEED TRADE RATINGS OF THE NEW OILSEED RAPE VARIETIES

Incentive *****

Charger **

Trinity ****

Harper ****

NEW OILSEED RAPE VARIETIES (*) COMPARED WITH NEAREST RIVALS

East/West region Gross output

*Incentive 105

*Charger 105

*Trinity 104

*Harper 103

PT211 103

PR46W21 103

DK Cabernet 101

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