Cereals 2025: Growers get early access to next-gen beet varieties
© Gary Naylor UK beet growers can now buy seed directly from a key plant breeder, giving them earlier access to next-generation varieties together with a wide range of seed treatments.
The move by Sesvandehave results from changes made to the British Sugar agreement, first announced in 2024.
See also: How a new test helps tackle herbicide-resistant weeds
Next-generation varieties
This means farmers can access new varieties that have completed National Listing and are candidates in the British Beet Research Organisation’s (BBRO) 2025 trials, says UK director Ian Munnery.
These are the next generation in terms of yield and agronomic characteristics, Ian added.
Varieties include Possom, Snipe, Pitail, Partridge and Grouse. For example, Ian highlighted Snipe has a especially high sugar content.
Current varieties
This is on top of direct access to the long-established varieties such as Magpie and Wren, as well as the newest top-performing varieties on the current Recommended List, like Antler.
For growers with confirmed AYPR rhizoania, the company has Osprey, which remains the only BBRO-recommended variety for AYPR.
While for those with beet cyst nematode challenges, there is Hoopoe or the new promising variety, Pintail.
Seed will be from 2025 harvest to ensure top germination.
Seed treatments
In addition, the seed will be processed in Sesvanderhave and Hillshog facilities, “so we are able to offer a wider range of pelleting and seed treatments tailored to growers’ specific needs.”
For example, growers have traditionally used Tachigaren (hymeazol) to protect against damping off.
But for those with maize in the rotation, there is an increased risk from other pathogens such as rhizomania and phoma.
Therefore, growers can request having Rampart (penthiopyrad) stacked with with Tachigaren to cover these diseases.
UK trials
Ian Munnery highlighted that the current National Listing system uses five to six sites, which is less than 0.01% of the growing area.
In addition, they are manicured plots that show the variety’s potential, rather than what is happening on farm.
One limitation of having few sites can be demonstrated with diseases.
“You can have different strains of disease like rusts and cercospera and they can move around so you need more data.”
So this season, Sesvanderhave has started 70 strip trials dotted about the beet growing area to look to see how the next-generation varieties perform.
“So we will be able to look at different situations including soils, seed rates, drill dates and nitrogen rates.”
The company is also planning to DNA test the pulp to detect the diseases present, especially those at sub-clinical levels such as rubbery taproot.
If we see a disease, then we can accelerate the introduction of genetics to solve future problems, he said.
