What Hinsta brings to UK OSR production

Strong vigour and a full set of key agronomic traits are now essential for growing oilseed rape in the UK with KWS’ new generation of hybrid varieties a significant step forward in ‘future proofing’ the crop, says the company’s OSR Product Manager Rory Hannam.

With a strong pipeline of high performance varieties to follow, newly recommended Hinsta ticks all the boxes when it comes to helping growers produce consistently high yields across a range of different growing conditions, he points out.

“Yield potential without the built-in traits needed to give OSR optimum resilience and yield stability is still quite risky, particularly in areas that have struggled with the crop in recent years.

“Hinsta has a fantastic combination of features making it an ideal choice for modern oilseed rape production.

“In the 2025/26 AHDB Recommended List, for example, Hinsta is the highest yielding oilseed rape variety specifically recommended for the East/West region that combines what KWS call the built-in traits of TuYV protection and pod shatter resistance.

“The topline figures of 106% for gross output and 46.1% for oil content are also pretty impressive.”

© KWS UK LTD

True strength

These headline figures are eye-catching, but Hinsta has much more to offer. It’s only when you dig beneath these figures that the true strengths of the variety stand out, he says.

“The RL shows that Hinsta has intermediate resistance to verticillium and our own private trials data would improve on this claim where during inoculated pot tests Hinsta performed as well as a variety classed as partially resistant across a couple of years.

© KWS UK LTD

“Pod shatter is an absolute necessity these days as the weather is so unpredictable and we are seeing more extremes in weather patterns.

“Having this trait built-in offers protection against pod shatter to help minimise potential losses when the crop is at its most valuable and after all the hard work has been put in throughout the season.

“It’s the same with TuYV protection too. With growers using less insecticide either for SFI options or for other environmental reasons, such as trying to increase natural predators, if there was a bad aphid infestation in the autumn having the trait in a variety is the best way to mitigate any risk of infection.

“Strong varietal resistance to TuYV is the best way to mitigate against this growing threat.”

“Hinsta also has a 7 for Light Leaf Spot (LLS) which again gives it ample protection against this disease which, although largely confined to the North of the country a few years ago, is now a problem in many parts of the country.

“With good standing power, lodging resistance and a height of 155cm, Hinsta has the right type of plant structure to support high yields plus it suits both early and late drilling slots.

“It’s a combination of all these features that will make it a top performer in the field and one that will help growers not only simplify their management of the crop but also, help produce a profitable crop.”

© KWS UK LTD

Hybrid power

Underpinning the variety’s performance is KWS’ commitment to hybrid breeding, Rory Hannam points out.

“Hinsta is the latest development in our hybrid oilseed rape breeding programme. It’s very much a modern oilseed rape variety and paves the way to a new generation of KWS oilseed rape that packages together the key traits of proven resilience, exceptional yield potential and outstanding hybrid vigour.

“That hybrid vigour is essential in helping a variety power through early season pest threats as well as helping plants get up and away after any adverse weather conditions over winter.”

New candidate variety

Another new variety KWS Domingos is also ticking all the boxes with an East/West recommendation, a high gross output of 109% and an oil content 45.9%, he adds.

“Currently a candidate variety, KWS Domingos contains essential built-in traits with a strong disease package including a 7 for light leaf spot and an 8 for phoma. This is combined with vigorous autumn growth and a quick spring growth habit.

“Our internal trials have also shown that in low nitrogen conditions, KWS Domingos has particularly strong nitrogen use efficiency, too. Taking all this into account, KWS Domingos is an exciting variety to potentially try this autumn and one to watch out for in the future.”

Find out more about Hinsta.