Astrid – top of the heap

In NIAB TAG and HGCA trials programmes in East Anglia as well as in the experience of a leading Cambridgeshire farmer, the conventional low biomass winter oilseed rape variety Astrid has delivered top yields at harvest once again.

In Cambridgeshire Dan West of J.C. and M.A. Martin reports that his Astrid, supplied to him by Acorn Seeds, has done exceptionally well. "In one 10 hectare field on good silty land, it clocked up an average yield of 5.4 t/ha, which was exceptionally good performance. In another 32 hectare field, 40% of which was light gravel, it yielded 4.6 t/ha. Even across the whole farm which has a range of soil types including some areas with light gravelly soils, the total farm average was 4.3 t/ha. I have grown Astrid for three years now and with its consistent performance and this year’s excellent yield, it would take a lot to turn me away from growing it in the future."

He explains that the Astrid was drilled around the 30th August at a seed rate of 4 kg/ha into a good seedbed. "It received 145 kgs of nitrogen in total, with the first application in mid March and a further application in April. We had sufficient moisture for the nitrogen to be taken up, which was a positive."

Mr. West, who contract farms on other farms in the area, has been combining some other rape varieties including DK Cabernet and Flash, and says that he can’t see any reason to change his variety choice or to move to hybrids. "I can’t see the benefits."

In addition to a solid performance on farms in Cambridgeshire, Neil Groom of Grainseed reports excellent results with Es Astrid in NIAB TAG trials in Norfolk and in HGCA trials in Suffolk. "In the NIAB TAG trials at Morley, Astrid was the top performing conventional variety with a yield of 4.35 t/ha, which equates to 107% of the site mean. In the only remaining East Anglian HGCA Recommended List trials at Framlingham in Suffolk, Astrid was the second highest yielding conventional variety with a yield of 104%. In the 7 HGCA trials reported to date, it is yielding a mean of 103%, well above that of Castille with just 97% and Expert at 99%, above Vision, Fashion, Compass and Flash at 101% and close to DK Cabernet and Excalibur at 104%."

"On the current 2010/2011 HGCA Recommended List Astrid has a seed yield of 103% and this looks to be consistent with this year’s results, too. It will also yield well on a wide range of soil types. Being a low biomass rape variety with good standing power, Astrid is easy to manage and to harvest. Astrid’s consistent performance and ease of management are why growers continue to grow it year after year. As harvest and trial results come in, we have seen an increase in demand for Astrid this year, because it performs where it matters producing good seed yields and plenty of grain in the barn," says Neil.

For further comment and information on the oilseed rape variety Es Astrid or other Grainseed varieties such as Es Alienor, please contact Neil Groom, Technical Manager Grainseed Ltd on 01379 871073 or 07774 720240.