Know How / Oilseed rape / Crop management

Once it’s up and away, oilseed rape needs careful management and the right nutrition throughout the growing season to ensure it fulfills its potential. See what can be done to maximise output, put a lid on growing costs and keep the crop photosynthesising as it reaches maturity and fills its seeds.

Case studies

See all

OILSEED RAPE

How YEN prize winners have achieved impressive OSR yields

UK oilseed rape yields averaged 3t/ha in harvest 2023, but the prize-winning OSR growers at this year’s Yield Enhancement Network Awards achieved more than double this yield from standard farm…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How a regen farm is reducing inputs to meet SFI targets

The drive to reduce the use of artificial inputs is under way at Raby Farms in County Durham, with the business recognising the economic and environmental benefits of being less…

ARABLE

Grower moves to direct-drilled OSR and companion crops

Dorset grower Andrew Fry is growing oilseed rape for the first time and is hoping for a good yield from his new break crop. There is also £100/ha of government…

ARABLE

Grower improves fungicide use and compaction with helicopter

A helicopter is not the standard piece of farm kit to be stored in a machinery shed, but Canadian grain producer Wade McAllister plans to combine his passion for farming…

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Grower's soils improve and inputs reduce with regen approach

Hampshire grower David Miller has seen the organic matter of his chalky light soils rise by nearly 1% over the past four years by the use of cover crops and…

OILSEED RAPE

Derby OSR grower attracted to Hear varieties by premium

Robert Holmes has turned to growing high erucic acid rapeseed (Hear) on his Derbyshire farm, encouraged by a healthy price premium and its easiness to grow, while he has just…

Practical advice

See all

PEST MANAGEMENT

How to introduce SFI 2023's no insecticide option

After another delay, applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2023 are due to finally open in mid-September, with the new no use of insecticide action being one of the…

OILSEED RAPE

Study shows growers can cut oilseed rape pest damage

Agro-ecological and genetic solutions are being examined to overcome pest problems in oilseed rape. Rothamsted Research is doing work on increasing populations of natural enemies as part of a Europe-wide…

ARABLE

How grower adds flexibility with disease-tolerant OSR

Changing weather patterns and the opportunity to reduce fungicide spray inputs were behind Lincolnshire grower Nick Wright’s decision to grow the sclerotinia-tolerant winter oilseed rape variety PT303. Having once experienced…

OILSEED RAPE

How to get oilseed rape crop inputs right this spring

Striking the right balance between high input costs and fluctuating market prospects is the challenge for most oilseed rape growers this spring. Crops should be assessed for their canopy size…

SOILS

3 steps to take to reduce reliance on artificial fertiliser

Farmers are seeking ways to cut artificial fertiliser rates as prices skyrocket and one Canadian expert has developed a three-step approach to achieve this. Cropping is currently based on classic…

OILSEED RAPE

Oilseed rape grower uses free disease test for light leaf spot

Britain’s largest farming group Velcourt is using free disease testing on its oilseed rape crops to finely tune fungicide treatments to protect against the yield-damaging and hard-to-identify disease light leaf…

Insights

See all

CROP MANAGEMENT

How climate change may increase pest and disease threats

The changing climate is already bringing new challenges, and 2022 served as a prime example, with sugar beet crops hit by a moth while oilseed rape crops in the east…

ESTABLISHMENT

Why early OSR drilling may reduce yields by up to 1.5t/ha

The trend for milder winters across north-west Europe may mean UK oilseed rape growers need to consider drilling later to maximise rapeseed yields. A major breeder is investigating whether late…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why increasing diversity in arable fields is key to IPM

Introducing greater diversity in arable fields is an important part of integrated strategies for disease and pest control, buying crucial time for slower acting biological solutions. Canadian soil specialist Joel…

ARABLE

Why caution is needed with late-applied herbicides

Growers planning to apply a pre- or post-emergence herbicide to late-sown crops need to be aware of the potential risks to crop safety and efficacy where conditions are suboptimal, warns…

VARIETY SELECTION

Why OSR vigour and late disease score is key to 2023 yields

Oilseed rape varieties with good early vigour and resistance to late season disease have been the top performers in Agrii’s variety plots in Lincolnshire. Like many areas of the UK,…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Survey gives pointers on how to successfully grow OSR

An average 85% of oilseed rape crops are predicted to reach harvest, but some farmers, especially in East Anglia, are feeling the pain. Although the average is down on last…

OILSEED RAPE

How OSR variety choice helps crops survive flea beetle

Simply selecting the top yielding OSR varieties on the AHDB Recommended List is not always the best approach in high cabbage stem flea beetle areas, according to Agrii trials and…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How OSR growers will benefit from two new disease genes

New resistance genes for clubroot and phoma will offer growers better varietal control of these two costly diseases in oilseed rape crops. Both are welcome additions as existing genes have…

VARIETY SELECTION

Stem Health label helps identify best disease-resistant OSR

A new Stem Health score is set to help growers identify the best oilseed rape varieties to grow with good resistance against three key yield-sapping stem diseases. Limagrain arable technical…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Why farmers need to do their sums before altering 2023 N rates

Modest reductions in nitrogen fertiliser applications of 20-30kg/ha are being advised on most feed wheat crops for the 2023 growing season, with growers being urged to do their sums before…

PEST MANAGEMENT

New advice on volunteers for tackling flea beetle in OSR

Early results suggest that cultivating oilseed rape stubbles immediately after harvest may reduce the adult cabbage stem flea beetle population significantly. This is according to the latest findings from the…

CROP MANAGEMENT

3 technologies to address arable’s biggest challenges

Innovative new technology hold the potential to combat some of the biggest agronomic challenges arable farmers face in yield stagnation, blackgrass control and cabbage stem flea beetle attack. Farmers Weekly…

Advertiser content

See all