Agronomy firm launches new ‘very early’ maize variety

A maize variety in the “very early” maturity sector has been launched, offering good early vigour and standing power.

Bred by Limagrain and suitable for forage, anaerobic digestion or crimped maize production, Sunset, which was grown in the UK in limited quantities in 2025, is available exclusively via ProCam on a wide-scale commercial basis.

“We earmarked Sunset as a promising ‘very early’ candidate three years ago,” explains Hayley Wellings, technical seed specialist for ProCam in the UK.

“Since then, we’ve put it through a rigorous internal screening process at multiple UK locations to test its yield potential and agronomic capabilities, and to ensure it delivers a level of performance consistency that our customers can rely on.”

See also: 12 new forage maize varieties make latest ranking

With a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) rating of 160-170, a starch yield of 6.62 t/ha and an energy density of 11.57 MJ/kg DM, Sunset produces a very early maturing crop with superb feed value.

“This makes it the ideal choice for livestock farmers who are growing maize for forage or for crimping, and who want a crop that can be harvested early in the season,” Hayley adds.

As well as a good forage and crimped maize option, she believes Sunset is also an ideal choice for anaerobic digestion (AD) plant growers who are looking to spread the maturity of their varieties.

However, it is not suitable for the petfood grain market due to its anthocyanin content.

Geographical locations

With its strong agronomic attributes, including ratings of 7.0 for standing power and early vigour, she says Sunset can be grown in a wide range of geographical locations – including in the west where wet and windy weather can put weaker varieties at risk of lodging.

“Sunset performs particularly well on fertile land, with a high organic matter content and the ability to retain moisture.” 

It was grown in limited quantities in the UK in 2025, with those growers who tested it alongside their current first choice varieties achieving some excellent crop yields despite the year’s tricky growing conditions.

Hayley puts its performance down to its tall plant height and dense growth habit, which allowed it to intercept plenty of the summer’s abundant sunshine.

In addition to being grown by a small number of farmers in 2025, Sunset was also tested at 14 ProCam demonstration sites.

“This included two fully replicated trials where the dry and hot weather really pushed varieties to their limits,” she says.

Hayley Wellings © ProCam

“Thanks to its excellent early vigour, Sunset was able to get up and established quicker than its less vigorous counterparts.

“As a result, Sunset had grown further through its growth stages before the lack of rainfall became a limiting factor, and as such produced some impressive yield and energy results, outshining many other varieties with a similar maturity classification.”

It also performed well in trials the season before (2024), producing high yields of energy-rich material despite that summer’s cloudy conditions, she says.