Early maturing rape that delivers high oil and high yields as well

It was an interest in earliness of maturity that led Colin Button, Seed Manager for Hutchinsons, to take a serious look at the new oilseed rape variety Cubic. But he has been particularly pleased that Cubic has matured early, but this has not been to the detriment of high yields or high oil content.

"Many growers are looking for an "early bite" at their rape, particularly those with a large area of rape and busy workloads at harvest. Originally I wanted to establish the principle of early maturity as a viable option for farmers, but without sacrificing yield. So I chose Cubic to fill this role. Ironically many rape varieties have matured early, following the unusual weather conditions this year, but Cubic not only matured early but it also has the advantages of being low biomass and, most importantly, delivering excellent yields and oils," says Colin.

"In fact the Cubic slightly outperformed DK Cabernet, which is recognised as a high gross output variety, and it equalled its oil content. What was pleasing was that Cubic appeared to have coped with the drought and gave excellent yields in that early maturing slot."

One of Colin’s farmers, Ross Thorpe of F. Hartley Estates Ltd, near Wisbech grew Cubic for the first time and has achieved very good yields of 5.4 t/ha plus oil content of 45%. Ross also comments positively on the easiness of harvest of Cubic and intends to grow this variety again this coming year.

Colin Button makes the point that, as a company, Hutchinsons have been supporting the concept of semi-dwarf oilseed rape varieties. "Cubic is not a semi-dwarf but a very good low biomass variety, with all the practical benefits of ease of harvest and management that such a variety brings."

Overall Colin has been impressed with Cubic. "It has proven to be a real success and we will be growing more of it in the future."