Hybrid oilseeds look promising

5 June 1998

Hybrid oilseeds look promising

HYBRID rapes, offering increased yields at only marginally extra cost, give oilseed growers the best chance of remaining profitable under an Agenda 2000 regime, says Mary Munley, CPB Twyford seed development manager.

The most immediately promising variety from the stable is a varietal association, or composite hybrid, coded R3, which has out-yielded Synergy by 3% and is up for recommendation this autumn.

The yield edge could be explained by the fact that unlike Synergy, which has 20% of the conventional variety Falcon as poll-inator, the new variety is 100% hybrid, says the firms head of oilseeds breeding Liz Williams.

New hybrid rapes look set to boost yield 3%, says CPBs Mary Munley.