Why change your variety if you’re happy with it

A leading farmer in the Thames Valley has been growing the low biomass winter oilseed rape variety Astrid for 4 to 5 years and sees no good reason to change, as it continues to deliver a good performance each year.

Managing over 1000 hectares of combinable crops in the Thames Valley and the Chilterns on some very challenging soils, Simon Beddows has grown Astrid since it was first entered onto the Recommended List and when its performance was highlighted by his supplier, Robert Pickard. "We farm some variable and difficult soil types from chalky downland to gravel with a clay cap, yet still we have managed to grow over 3 t/ha. Last year we grew 4 t/hectare of rape, which was an excellent result. One of the aspects I like about Astrid is that it gives consistent results despite being grown on inconsistent soils and fields."

Mr Beddows also appreciates the ease of management offered by Astrid. "It is SO easy to grow. We would normally plant rape after winter barley around the third week of August. We remove the straw and then follow in behind with Simba Solo ST, a combination of discs, tines and press. It is useful to cultivate and drill in as fewer passes as possible, as keeping soil moisture is important on our soils. The Astrid went in well last autumn and came through well, giving a good stand by the winter."

He also noted that Astrid was unaffected by the late frosts, not the case with the DK Cabernet which he also grows. "There isn’t much difference between maturity between these two varieties on paper, but considerable difference in practise."

Being in a difficult black-grass area, growing winter oilseed rape gives Simon the opportunity to use some different herbicides to the ones he uses in wheat. "Depending on the field, the herbicide programme revolves around pre-emergence Novall (metazachlor and quinmerac) followed by Kerb (propyzamide). Growing rape has helped with the control and containment of black-grass on the farm."

Simon Beddows notes Astrid’s excellent Phoma resistance, which means that he doesn’t always have to spray, depending if the threshold is reached. "We don’t have any problems with Light Leaf Spot but we can be at risk of Phoma A strong natural resistance to Phoma is a useful feature to have, as it makes management that much easier and sometimes cheaper."

Being low biomass Astrid is also easier to combine, adding to easier management, he notes.

Neil Groom of Grainseed adds that Astrid was added to the HGCA Recommended List in 2005 and it is still one of the most popular and most widely grown rape varieties. "Its longevity in the market is down to its consistency of performance, as well as its ease of management."

"With Astrid it will yield every year. It still has a good seed yield of 103% on the 2010/2011 HGCA Recommended List. It will also yield on a wide range of soil types across the country. Being a low biomass rape variety which stands well, Astrid is easy to manage and to harvest. In a world of inconsistency, you can be certain of Astrid and it is this certainty that persuades growers to continue growing it year after year. As combine start harvest, we have seen an upsurge in demand for Astrid because it performs where it matters with 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.