Many are predicting shortages of spring seed as growers abandon their autumn drilling due to the poor weather, but help is at hand, with a company importing key varieties from its breeding partners on the Continent.

Elsoms is working with its plant breeding partners Lantmannen SW and Florimond Desprez to provide UK farmers with a choice of wheat varieties.

“The quantity of spring wheat seed produced in the UK is not sufficient to meet the extra demand created by the displaced demand from the autumn crop,” says Elsoms sales manager Adrian Hayler. “This situation is not unique and farmers in other northern European countries are in similar circumstances, with the result there may simply not be enough seed to meet demand.”

“As part of our joint breeding and development programme with German breeder Lantmannen SW and French breeder Florimond Desprez, we have been able to secure limited quantities of four varieties – Sonett, SW Kadrilj, Soisson and Guadalupe.

New variety Sonett and SW Kadrilj are both “elite” quality wheats from Germany with high yields, excellent disease resistance and good standing power. SW Kadrilj is an alternative wheat that can be autumn-sown, while new variety Sonett is a more traditional spring-sown variety with exceptional resistance to mildew and yellow rust,” he says.

“As well as the elite German wheats we have also secured additional stocks of Soisson and Guadalupe from France. Soissons has remained popular as a late sown autumn/spring variety following potatoes or sugar beet with its early ripening giving an ideal entry into oilseed rape.”

There has been a strong increase in demand for Soissons over the past two weeks, adds Mr Hayler.

“We are also able to supply the traditional French spring wheat variety Guadalupe, which has been well established in France since 1996 and is an early-maturing, short-strawed French milling wheat that stands well and produces a good yield.”

More on this topic

Keep abreast of this autumn’s drilling progress with our online chart