Concerns have been raised about information provided by British Sugar to growers who have purchased the beet variety ‘Jackdaw', with NFU Sugar calling for more data on it.
NFU Sugar said it was 'alarmed' to hear that some growers had been supplied the variety, which is not listed on the 2024 Recommended List (RL)
According to the body, this was because British Sugar sold out of the available stock of beet cyst nematode (BCN) tolerant varieties on the RL.
This had left some growers in need of BCN-tolerant seed, who were unable to otherwise secure any from the sugar processor.
NFU Sugar said it understood that British Sugar had provided these growers with a two-page factsheet, published by the breeder, containing selected data regarding the variety’s performance.
However, NFU Sugar said the strip trial data shown was "not independent, nor is any information provided on trial protocols, replications, or the robustness of the data."
And the lack of important independent agronomic data in the information British Sugar had shared with growers, such as disease infection scores, was 'a major concern'.
"It is vital growers have the information necessary to make informed agronomic decisions when growing any variety, which is one reason the RL exists," NFU Sugar said.
"NFU Sugar strongly believes growers should have been provided with a three-year dataset consistent with the RL data available for all other marketed varieties, which will have been generated if Jackdaw was submitted into the process.
"This would provide growers with consistent, detailed and independent data to support decision making."
Seed breeders will carry out and publish the results of proprietary trials as part of the marketing of their varieties.
However, NFU Sugar said it was 'alarmed' that British Sugar had chosen, in this one case alone, to provide this data to growers "in favour of robust, independent, industry-leading trial data generated by our jointly-funded research body, BBRO".
Furthermore, had British Sugar managed the contracting and seed sale process differently, NFU Sugar said the situation "could have been mitigated or potentially avoided".
It is understood a number of growers are now revising parts of their seed order having had requests for additional tonnage rejected.
