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06/06/2009 08:17:38
Low biomass varieties make for easier management and cost-savings
Low biomass oilseed rape varieties such as Astrid have continued to yield well on John Baker’s land at Thoresby Home Farm in Nottinghamshire, but he is particularly pleased with the easier management that growing such variety allows.
"We grow 480 acres of Astrid on heavy land in Nottinghamshire which we start drilling early at a seed rate of 3 kgs/ha in mid August. For later drilled crops we increase the seed rate to 5 kgs/ha. We need to drill early on our land as we have 1350 acres of OSR to establish with two subsoiler drills. We have found Astrid develops slowly in the autumn and so can be one of the earliest to drill. This year it established very well with a noticeably strong fibrous root system."
"An additional benefit of Astrid is its excellent disease resistance to Phoma stem canker, with a 7 HGGA rating. This may not save us money on fungicide treatments but makes management of the disease much easier and gives us a wider more flexible spray window," points out Mr. Baker.
But according to John Baker the benefits of a low biomass variety such as Astrid are most significant around harvest. "Astrid is short, has good stem stiffness and stands well. This means no lodging, an even spread of straw through the combine and much quicker throughput on the combine. It also means more even drying - altogether an easier harvest, with considerable cost savings too," says John.
Richard Fenwick, independent seed specialist is concerned that some farmers may have been lulled into growing the much taller hybrid rapes last year, with the incentive of yield, but warns growers to think broader than this and to consider all the cost and management benefits of growing a low biomass variety.
"Low biomass varieties such as Astrid and Alienor offer growers a great many benefits in terms of management and costs, not just savings on seed, fungicides, fuel and labour at harvest but the positive benefits of avoiding lodging and better throughput at harvest. I would advise growers to look at the whole package of a variety. Yes, gross output is the starting point but you need a balance between output and input, particularly the all important cost implications on both sides of this equation. A crop which is easier and cheaper to manage can often be more profitable at the end of the day."
"One important cost consideration for growers is seed costs. With a conventional low biomass variety, not only do you have the opportunity to save your own seed but pure lines offer considerable savings on seed costs. This year some hybrid seed is trading at approx. £60/hectare compared with more competitive pure lines trading at £39/ha. For a farm such as Thoresby Home Farm where they grow 500 acres of hybrid, they could save over £4,000 in seed costs alone by going with a more competitive conventional variety like Es Alienor. Plus there will be other agronomic benefits from growing a conventional variety with good disease resistance," points out Grainseed Director, John Hardy.
"Es Astrid continues to be a leading conventional oilseed rape variety. Why farmers still love Astrid starts with its high and consistent yields at 4.53t/ha on the HGCA Recommended List, exactly the same as the popular hybrid Excalibur. Growers also know that however it is established or wherever it is grown on whatever soil type, it performs well, "claims John.
"It also remains the highest rated conventional variety for resistance to Phoma stem canker. Its stem canker resistance is 7.0 compared to just 5.3 for Canti-CS, 5.0 for NK Bravour, 4.4 for Catana, 5.0 for Excalibur and 5.8 for Castille. Its high multigene resistance to Phoma could also, in some instances, obviate the need for one treatment in a fungicide programme or at least allow a less robust, cheaper programme to be used, with no detrimental effects on yields. Any delays in fungicide application will be less critical, too," says John.
"Astrid also has an eight rating for resistance to lodging, an eight rating for shortness of stem and an eight rating for stem stiffness. This all adds up to a high performing, reliable rape variety that is easier and more cost-effective to manage and one that produces very acceptable, high gross margins," concludes Mr Hardy.
For further comment and information on the oilseed rape variety Es Astrid or other Grainseed varieties such as Es Alienor, please contact John Hardy, Director of Grainseed Ltd on 01379 871073 or 07836 582436.
"We grow 480 acres of Astrid on heavy land in Nottinghamshire which we start drilling early at a seed rate of 3 kgs/ha in mid August. For later drilled crops we increase the seed rate to 5 kgs/ha. We need to drill early on our land as we have 1350 acres of OSR to establish with two subsoiler drills. We have found Astrid develops slowly in the autumn and so can be one of the earliest to drill. This year it established very well with a noticeably strong fibrous root system."
"An additional benefit of Astrid is its excellent disease resistance to Phoma stem canker, with a 7 HGGA rating. This may not save us money on fungicide treatments but makes management of the disease much easier and gives us a wider more flexible spray window," points out Mr. Baker.
But according to John Baker the benefits of a low biomass variety such as Astrid are most significant around harvest. "Astrid is short, has good stem stiffness and stands well. This means no lodging, an even spread of straw through the combine and much quicker throughput on the combine. It also means more even drying - altogether an easier harvest, with considerable cost savings too," says John.
Richard Fenwick, independent seed specialist is concerned that some farmers may have been lulled into growing the much taller hybrid rapes last year, with the incentive of yield, but warns growers to think broader than this and to consider all the cost and management benefits of growing a low biomass variety.
"Low biomass varieties such as Astrid and Alienor offer growers a great many benefits in terms of management and costs, not just savings on seed, fungicides, fuel and labour at harvest but the positive benefits of avoiding lodging and better throughput at harvest. I would advise growers to look at the whole package of a variety. Yes, gross output is the starting point but you need a balance between output and input, particularly the all important cost implications on both sides of this equation. A crop which is easier and cheaper to manage can often be more profitable at the end of the day."
"One important cost consideration for growers is seed costs. With a conventional low biomass variety, not only do you have the opportunity to save your own seed but pure lines offer considerable savings on seed costs. This year some hybrid seed is trading at approx. £60/hectare compared with more competitive pure lines trading at £39/ha. For a farm such as Thoresby Home Farm where they grow 500 acres of hybrid, they could save over £4,000 in seed costs alone by going with a more competitive conventional variety like Es Alienor. Plus there will be other agronomic benefits from growing a conventional variety with good disease resistance," points out Grainseed Director, John Hardy.
"Es Astrid continues to be a leading conventional oilseed rape variety. Why farmers still love Astrid starts with its high and consistent yields at 4.53t/ha on the HGCA Recommended List, exactly the same as the popular hybrid Excalibur. Growers also know that however it is established or wherever it is grown on whatever soil type, it performs well, "claims John.
"It also remains the highest rated conventional variety for resistance to Phoma stem canker. Its stem canker resistance is 7.0 compared to just 5.3 for Canti-CS, 5.0 for NK Bravour, 4.4 for Catana, 5.0 for Excalibur and 5.8 for Castille. Its high multigene resistance to Phoma could also, in some instances, obviate the need for one treatment in a fungicide programme or at least allow a less robust, cheaper programme to be used, with no detrimental effects on yields. Any delays in fungicide application will be less critical, too," says John.
"Astrid also has an eight rating for resistance to lodging, an eight rating for shortness of stem and an eight rating for stem stiffness. This all adds up to a high performing, reliable rape variety that is easier and more cost-effective to manage and one that produces very acceptable, high gross margins," concludes Mr Hardy.
For further comment and information on the oilseed rape variety Es Astrid or other Grainseed varieties such as Es Alienor, please contact John Hardy, Director of Grainseed Ltd on 01379 871073 or 07836 582436.
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