Arable Farming - Seeds - June 2021

VA SE RIE E 28 DS TIE pa ges S S A cro on PE p o th C ND ptio e la IA ns tes L t July 2021

VARIETIES AND SEEDS SPECIAL

WRITTEN IN THE STARS

HYBRID WHEAT Hybrids could be a gamechanger, but for whom?

Pages 6-8

VARIETY BLENDS What you need to know about growing a blend Pages 16-18

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CONTENTS

JULY 2021 VARIETIES AND SEEDS SPECIAL

In this issue of

6

23

Technical

9

6

Why hybrid varieties could revolutionise wheat growing Hybrid wheat could be a game-changer, but for whom? Grower, breeder or both?

9

How UK varieties are set to change Wheat breeders are focusing on varieties that can deliver reliable results in a climate change future

14

Diversifying for a sustainable future With a tradition of break crop breeding, LSPB has recently seen its first cereal variety join the AHDB Recommended List

16

Mixing it up with variety blends Studies in Denmark have found a number of benefits from growing a blend of varieties, but the approach comes with a number of caveats and considerations

20

Making the most of farm saved seed Farm saving seed offers valuable extra flexibility and control as well as useful cost savings. But it must be done in a well-planned and managed way

23

Why hybrid rye is gaining ground Hybrid rye is gaining popularity as an alternative to wheat and barley across the UK

26

New ratings improve cereal sustainability The Variety Sustainability Ratings are showing their worth in terms of improving the sustainability of winter cereal growing

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3 03/06/2021 16:07

a word from the

editor

Contacts Group Editor – Arable Teresa Rush 01787 282 822 teresa.rush@arablefarming.com Senior Arable Specialist Marianne Curtis 07815 003 236 marianne.curtis@arablefarming.com Arable Technical Specialist Alice Dyer 07966 445 458 alice.dyer@fginsight.com Machinery Editor James Rickard 01772 799 496 james.rickard@arablefarming.com Production Editor Rik Magliola 01772 799 456 rik.magliola@arablefarming.com Picture Editor Theresa Eveson 01772 799 445 theresa.eveson@arablefarming.com Account Manager Jane Newton 01948 780 783 jane.newton@arablefarming.com Account Manager Mark Jackson 01322 449 624 mark.jackson@arablefarming.com Account Manager Chris Knowles 01772 799 550 chris.knowles@arablefarming.com Head of Commercial Solutions Mike Hartley 01772 799 532 mike.hartley@arablefarming.com Advertising Production Justine Sumner 01772 799 437 justine.sumner@arablefarming.com For circulation queries, to request a copy or subscribe, please contact Emma Williamson 01772 799 452 emma.williamson@arablefarming.com Subscriptions Contact: 03303 330 056 help@subscribe.farmers-guardian.com

D

iversity is front of mind in many walks of life at present as it becomes increasingly clear that its value has for too long been overlooked. Reading through the features we’ve assembled for this special issue of Arable Farming underlined for me the importance of diversity on-farm within rotations, as well as its importance to plant breeders as they seek to produce varieties fit for purpose as agriculture adapts to the various economic, environmental, agronomic and political challenges it faces.

So, as harvest starts to loom on the horizon and variety plans for the new season are firmed up, I hope the following pages will provide food for thought and help inform that decision making.

We kick off with an update on developments in hybrid wheat breeding. While there are hybrid wheat varieties available to UK growers, a viable hybrid model for large-scale wheat production has proved elusive and hybrids have yet to make a significant impact in wheat, in contrast to other crops.

Progress It’s been said before I know, but that might be about to change as advances in our understanding of the wheat genome and developments in breeding pave the way for progress – and the all-important investment required. There are of course questions for growers around ethics and seed cost, but these will be examined against the significant agronomic advantages hybrids will need to deliver if they are to succeed.

Away from wheat, rye is an example of a crop where hybrids are making a difference; find out how one Norfolk farm business is integrating it into the rotation on p23-25.

The shift towards more sustainable farming systems is influencing variety choice, as growers seek to

improve the resilience of crops and reduce reliance on chemical inputs. Growing variety blends is a technique that is attracting attention (p16-18) – it is not a new approach but development work in Denmark and the UK is challenging accepted thinking.

Elsewhere we take a look at how plant breeders are developing varieties that will perform consistently in a changing climate and how they are introducing diversity into their breeding material to improve disease resistance and influence characteristics, such as maturity, to extend cropping options.

On a final note, with farm saved seed an important route to cost saving for many farm businesses, we find out why the mindset needs to be about ‘growing your own seed’, rather than simply ‘saving’ it.

16

© AgriBriefing 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The contents of Arable Farming are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems. ISSN 0269-6797

Arable Farming, AgriBriefing, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Caxton Road, Preston, Lancashire PR2 9NZ

www.croptecshow.com November 24-25, 2021

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Origination by Farmers Guardian, AgriBriefing, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Caxton Road, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 9NZ. Printed by Precision Colour Printing, Halesfield 1, Stirchley, Telford TF7 4QQ. No responsibility can be accepted by Arable Farming for opinions expressed by contributors.

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SEEDING THE FUTURE SINCE 1856

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VARIETIES HYBRID WHEAT Hybrid wheat could be a game-changer, but for whom?

Grower, breeder or both? Mike Abram reports.

Why hybrid varieties could revolutionise wheat growing

I

t was the 1930s when research into hybrid wheat began in the wake of the discovery of chemical hybridising agents initially used to develop hybrid maize varieties.

Nearly 100 years later, less than 1% of UK wheat is hybrid, all bred

by Saaten Union and sold in the UK through Elsoms and CropCo. Higher seed costs, questions over agronomic benefits and the lack of a commercially viable and scalable seed production system have been the main barriers to wider adoption.

But that hasn’t stopped multiple rounds of research into developing hybrid wheat by major breeding companies over the years. Financially, it makes sense for breeders – it prevents farm saving seed, meaning growers purchase new and in the case of hybrid seed, likely higher cost seed each season, capturing more value from their investment.

That could be good news for growers in the long run though – higher turnover usually drives more investment in the crop.

Prof Anthony Hall, head of plant genomics at Earlham Institute, Norwich, says: “You could see a positive spiral like there has been for maize.

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We are creating a lot of hybrids both for feed and quality markets JAMES TAYLORALFORD “Wheat has been underfunded and undervalued for many years.”

Progress is being made, partly thanks to advances in understanding of the wheat genome and use of new breeding technologies to help overcome some of the challenges in creating a commercially viable hybrid wheat seed system.

Collaboration The latest to enter the race are Bayer and RAGT, which announced in April a collaboration to develop ‘state-of-the-art’ hybrid wheat varieties for Europe.

Together, they intend to ‘advance the development of hybrid wheat technology and provide an innovative wheat growing system’.

But they are not alone.

Virtually every global wheat breeder has similar objectives, with Syngenta and BASF appearing to be leading the race to commercialise a new generation of hybrid wheat varieties in Europe.

Syngenta has four varieties in the equivalent of the National List stage in France, with two potentially being commercialised this autumn. That will depend on performance this season, says James Taylor-Alford, Syngenta’s head of seeds for field crops.

“In the UK, our hybrid wheat breeding programme has found some very good material for the male and female lines and we are creating a lot of hybrids both for feed and quality markets.”

The goal is to find hybrid varieties that do offer significant benefits to farmers, he says.

“We’re not in this to bring varieties to market that have questionable agronomic benefits over conventional varieties. In our early-stage hybrids, we have seen this potential.”

That means ‘significant’ yield improvements – more than the incremental increases typically seen currently.

“But there are other things apart from yield – disease resistance, root systems to cope with extreme weather, more efficient use of nitrogen, etc.”

Performance Mr Taylor-Alford expects Syngenta to enter hybrids into UK National List (NL) trials in the next three years, perhaps as soon as this autumn.

“We need to prove that performance in our trials the year before NL, so when they enter the NL we can be confident they are varieties that are likely to go on and be recommended to prove their value to growers.”

A pipeline of hybrids to build momentum is also important for the success of the programme, he adds.

JULY 2021 03/06/2021 15:17

New generation hybrid wheat varieties are likely to be entered into National List testing in the UK within the next few years and perhaps even as soon as this autumn.

That’s also the goal of BASF’s programme, which will be marketed under the brand name Ideltis, says Sarah Middleton, the firm’s marketing manager for seed in the UK. She says: “We’ve already entered official trials in Germany, Poland and Denmark, so we hope for first launches there, depending on results. It’s expected UK and France will be shortly after, with first sales in the mid-2020s.”

Having the right hybrid offer is more important than the date of first launch, she adds.

“We want to offer a measurable agronomic and financial benefit to growers and the value chain.”

That could be through higher yields, although Mrs Middleton

says it is clear hybrid wheat is not going to be a panacea for high yields in all situations.

“But it may give the opportunity to grow wheat economically where you can’t currently.

Consistency “We’re also targeting consistency of yield,” she adds. “We’re seeing more extremes of weather in the UK and we want hybrids to achieve consistency of yield regardless of situation, rather than the fluctuations we see now.”

Other key characteristics such as durable disease resistance are important, says Tom Clark, wheat breeding agronomist for BASF. “We don’t just want yield at the expense of sustainability.”

We want to offer a measurable agronomic and financial benefit to growers and the value chain SARAH MIDDLETON

The concept of a hybrid is relatively straightforward – two genetically different parent lines are cross-bred, leading to an F1 hybrid. Those plants exhibit hybrid vigour or heterosis, which typically means they are higher yielding and more resilient.

In many crops the power of hybrids has been phenomenal – driving higher yields, for example in maize and many vegetable crops.

In maize, the process of creating a hybrid is relatively straightforward as male and female parts of the plant are separated, meaning it is easier for breeders to control what pollen fertilises the ear, explains Dr Phil Howell, head of cereals pre-breeding at NIAB. But in wheat that is much more difficult to control because the male and female parts are effectively embedded together – making it very difficult to stop it self-pollinating, he says.

That’s great for conventional variety breeding where several generations of self-pollination after initial crosses and selection produce the final uniform variety and makes it relatively easy to scale up for seed production. It is also useful for

scaling up the production of the hybrid parents, but not so great for hybrid production itself where it is the first generation F1 seed from the cross of two parents you are looking for, without any contamination through self-pollination.

So, to prevent self-pollination a mechanism to produce a male sterile plant is required – that is to say one that does not produce viable pollen. That line then acts as the female parent and is then pollinated by a genetically different male line to produce the hybrid.

Sterility Two main methods are used. The first is chemical sterilisation – as used by Saaten Union to produce the only current commercial hybrids, such as Hyking. In this process, the female parent is sprayed with a chemical hybridising agent inducing male sterility.

Those plants are then crossed with a fertile male parent to create the F1 hybrid.

The second option used by BASF and Syngenta is a naturally occurring genetic system found in many other hybrid crops. Here the genetically male sterile parent is first X

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7 03/06/2021 15:17

VARIETIES HYBRID WHEAT Hybrids have delivered large yield increases in maize and vegetables.

crossed with a fertile maintainer line to produce higher quantities of male sterile seed and then with a fertile restorer line to reverse the male sterility in the resulting F1 hybrid seed in what is known as a threeline system.

The lack of success of hybrid wheat so far is undoubtedly due to the technical and financial challenge of scaling up seed production in these systems, says Jacob Lage, head of hybrid wheat for KWS. After ruling out both systems, plus genetically modified organisms and gene editing, KWS is attempting to develop a

two-line system, which it has pledged to make freely available to developing countries, he says.

In this system there are only two components – the male line and the female line. In producing the female (male sterile) line, a proportion of the harvested seed is male sterile and it is this that is used with the male line to create the F1 hybrid, he explains.

Costly “The CMS system is more complex and costly and on paper this system is easier and lower risk. The problem we had at KWS was such a system didn’t exist when we made this decision,”

With more extreme weather being seen in the UK, hybrids must achieve consistent yields regardless of situation, says BASF’s Sarah Middleton.

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But a research collaboration funded by Innovate UK is continuing to fine-tune initial research in Australia to make such a system commercially viable.

“Our belief is to make hybrid wheat an economical success we need such a system. Obviously BASF and Syngenta have made a different calculation.”

It is not the only research that could make a difference. Last year, BASF entered a collaboration with a US agritech company PowerPollen, which has developed technology with the potential to collect, preserve and apply wheat pollen at a commercial scale.

The collaboration could dramatically increase pollination efficiency for BASF’s hybrid wheat seed production, the partners claim.

Pollinova, a joint subsidiary of Syngenta, Asur Plant Breeding (part of Saaten-Union) and French research institute INRAE, is also developing a technology that enhances natural air movements carrying pollen from plant to plant, again helping to optimise seed production.

Publicly-funded research institutes are also taking a renewed interest in hybrid wheat. A recent meeting convened by Prof Hall brought together researchers and the

private sector to discuss opportunities for pre-competitive research in hybrid wheat.

Opportunities could include the development of a seed production system in the public sector that all breeders could use, Prof Hall adds.

“That would prevent one company developing a platform and taking over, instead allowing the sharing of parental material.”

Traits Other targets should be to develop a public hybrid platform for generating hybrid material for research, understand how traits bred for inbred programmes perform in hybrids, discover traits to use in the cross-pollination process and use new genetic tools to understand why and how heterosis increases yields.

“That would allow us to understand better what parents to put into a cross.”

But will growers want to invest in a much higher priced product? That comes down to a simple cost-benefit analysis, suggests Essex grower Guy Smith.

“Hybrids are nothing new.

Obviously, I am aware you cannot farm save, but that’s just a commercial decision – if the variety shows clear agronomic advantages I’m interested.”

JULY 2021 04/06/2021 12:03

PLANT BREEDING VARIETIES

The last few years have reshaped many producers’ views on what constitutes an ideal UK wheat variety.

Increasingly volatile weather patterns are reshaping the landscape of UK agricultural production, with wheat breeders now focusing on varieties that can reliably deliver results in a climate change future.

It is not just about chasing the highest yields any more, discovers Arable Farming.

How UK varieties are likely to change

T

he last few years have reshaped many producers’ views on what constitutes an ideal UK wheat variety, with the focus switching to traits that can help deliver reliable performance in increasingly variable growing conditions.

This is according to Dr Kirsty Richards of KWS, who suggests the arable sector is having to recalibrate its thinking in terms of what are the most desirable features in wheats moving forward.

“The last three to five years in particular have been a real wake up call for many in the X

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VARIETIES PLANT BREEDING industry – including growers and seed breeders – and while we have some great varieties to move forward with, others have been found sadly wanting.

“You only have to see the problems many of the previously reliable high yielding Group 1 varieties are having with yellow rusts and other diseases to realise we are at a bit of a crossroads.

“Simply chasing yields is no longer the answer and while ultimate production potential will always be in demand, we’ve learned you have to build in a lot more features to help growers achieve this more of the time in more variable growing conditions,” says Dr Richards.

According to Dr John Redhead, of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), focusing on 2020 provides a good picture of what UK growers are likely to experience more of in the future weather-wise.

He says: “Last year was the country’s worst harvest for at least 25 years as a result of the poor weather but, unfortunately, it can’t be seen as a one-off.

“Climate researchers generally agree that the way climate change will manifest itself in the UK is in wetter winters and hotter summers with less rainfall. The UK is unlikely to see a smooth transition to a warmer climate in the years ahead, with the increasing likelihood that it will be typified by periods of extreme weather.

KWS sees opportunities in matched ‘systems’ of varieties, suited to individual farm situations and longer term rotations.

“In the 2020 growing season, for example, this was evidenced by torrential rain at crucial times which hampered sowing most types of crops, an exceptionally dry spring affecting plant growth and finally heavy downpours in August creating very challenging harvesting conditions.

“UKCEH analysis of detailed data on 2020 yields from more than 500 fields across 100 farms showed an average fall in crop yields of around 15% compared to the five-year mean with the tonnage per hectare in some places down by as much as two-thirds.”

The three key watchwords as far as varieties are concerned are resilience, robustness and resistance DR KIRSTY RICHARDS

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With the climate likely to exert such downward pressure on yields more often in the future, varieties and their inherent strengths will have a much greater role to play in the years ahead, says Dr Richards.

“The three key watchwords as far as varieties are concerned are resilience, robustness and resistance.

Context “For KWS, the challenge is to develop varieties that deliver the highest performance possible and also allow growers to achieve this in the context of the new production environment we are inevitably moving towards.

“We need varieties that can cope more with what the climate throws at them and that are less reliant on often complex and often costly agronomic interventions.”

The company’s ‘Sowing for Peak Performance’ initiative – or SPP for short – has already delivered standout varieties with regard to this, she says, with even greater emphasis on functional traits being a future priority.

“In a world where more volatile weather conditions are the norm, stem stiffness and standing power become increasingly relevant and in more challenging autumn weather, later drilling capability becomes increasingly important.

“Strong disease resistance and high untreated yield are also increasingly relevant characteristics when agronomic inputs become less available or when spray windows are likely to be reduced because of the weather.

“KWS Extase, for example, has proved enormously popular over the last two years with the highest untreated yield on the 2021/22 Recommended List at more than 10 tonnes/ha.

“The variety’s high septoria resistance has allowed producers to be more flexible with their fungicide strategy but it’s also delivered exceptional yield and grain quality in the field.

“Growers report KWS Extase producing more than 12t/ha and achieving milling specification proteins of 13%, making many millers increasingly interested Continues on page 12.

JULY 2021 03/06/2021 16:10

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VARIETIES PLANT BREEDING in it as a de facto Group 1 – especially as the Group 1 pipeline is so thin at the moment.”

The new Group 4 KWS Cranium, listed for the first time on the 2021/22 RL, is also a good example of an SPP variety combining high yield and strong resilience, Dr Richards adds.

“It has orange wheat blossom midge resistance along with the best yield and yellow rust combination of all RL wheat varieties and the highest yield of all the current late drilling varieties.

“Late drilling potential is also a standout feature for the Group 3 variety KWS Firefly with its exceptional drilling window extending from September to the end of February, giving it unique flexibility when it comes to fitting in with drilling conditions.

“All these are great examples of varieties that fly in a good year in yield and marketing options, but they also have the traits necessary to protect them in poorer conditions so they can deliver as much of their full potential as possible.

“Furthermore, growers can build portfolios of these varieties to make best use of available

The key is to test in all conditions so those which make it to the commercial stage have been proven to be consistent

drilling windows, create space at key spray timings through combining different rates of maturity and manage the harvest period to fit in with their other cropping and rotational needs.”

Creating these matched ‘systems’ of varieties suited to individual farm situations and longer term rotations is increasingly where KWS sees significant opportunities for growers, Dr Richards says.

Thinking “We’ve currrently got seven new wheat varieties in R trials which build on this thinking.”

KWS Palladium is a breadmaking candidate, while KWS Guium and KWS Brium are potential biscuit varieties and KWS Dawsum and KWS Henum are hard feed wheats. KWS Ladum and KWS Fixum are spring wheats.

“Together they offer a broad range of characteristics combining the high yield capability with functional traits building in the ‘robustness, resilience and resistance’ features with a variety of different marketing options complementing this.”

KWS wheat breeder Mark Dodds says the company is continually breeding for all groups, with the goal of producing varieties which incorporate the traits required to make them consistent, reliable and grower friendly.

“The key is to test in all conditions so that those which eventually make it to the commercial stage have been proven to be consistent across a wide range of situations.

“The extremes of wet and dry weather that have characterised the last few years have been particularly apparent again this

MARK DODDS season and underlined the fact that no season is ‘normal’.

“For harvest 2020 we had the combination of farmers drilling later in autumn because of extreme wet weather in October and November, combined with a very dry spring.

“In this situation, the crop is highly stressed and high-tillering varieties, such as KWS Cranium, will perform well because high tiller numbers are the biggest component in achieving a high number of grains/sq.m.”

Identifying traits for the future JKWS global wheat lead Jacob Lage says the task is to predict what growers will want in the future and increasingly this is being influenced by their experiences of climate change.

“It could take 20 years for noticeably warmer, drier summers and wetter winters to come to the UK, but it takes at least 10 years from the first cross to bring a new variety to market “So, we’re bringing the traits in now that will make wheat suitable for the future. We’re also identifying any gaps there may be in the gene pool and looking at exotic material to see whether we can breed in characteristics that will ensure even greater resilience.”

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Identifying changing trends, such as the increased interest in no-till and min-till production systems, is also important, he adds.

“We have to respond to that and select varieties with early vigour without the benefit of mineralised N from disturbed soils. We’re always looking to associate the genetics with what we see in the field, but with these traits that’s super complex as there’s a whole range of genes interacting to give the characteristics growers need.”

Achieving reliable establishment of varieties in adverse conditions is also a key element in developing varieties for the future with

drone technology now helping considerably with this, he points out.

“The key is to spot the differences as soon as the plant emerges. With drones you can survey thousands of plots and compile very accurate data sets.

Metrics “That’s giving us the metrics to understand how individual crosses will perform across a whole range of scenarios.”

A changing climate will also inevitably result in a shift in pest and disease pressures, he says.

“It’s where the advantage of having a pan-European breeding programme comes in.

“Standing power is a trait UK breeders have always selected for. The UK is relatively highyielding with top-heavy varieties that have always needed some of the stiffest straw in Europe, so UK wheats are in a good position.

“But we may see more issues with fusarium in the UK, for instance, and there’s some promising resistance we’re selecting for in French and German lines that we can bring to the UK. “We’re also working closely with the academic community on public-funded pre-breeding programmes such as Designing Future Wheats, identifying traits and resistant genes in exotic and landrace varieties.”

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VARIETIES PLANT BREEDING

Diversifying for a sustai n With a tradition of break crop breeding, LSPB has recently seen its first cereal variety join the AHDB Recommended List. Teresa Rush talked to managing director Chris Guest about further developments for the UK market.

T

o those growing oilseed rape on clubroot-infected land, the varieties Croozer and Crome will be familiar. And pea and bean growers may well recognise Bluetime, Lynx, Vertigo and Fanfare.

Cambridge-based LSPB has a strong presence in the break crop market and now has its first cereal variety on the Recommended List in the form of Escape spring wheat.

It is hoped that Escape will be the first in a line of spring and then eventually winter wheats, to reach the market in the UK, says LSPB managing director Chris Guest.

The variety is a straight feed type, joining the 2021/22 RL with a list-topping yield rating of 107, just ahead of Group 2 KWS Cochise at 106 and fellow Group 4s KWS Talisker and Senova’s Hexham at 105.

“Historically, spring wheats have been quality types but what we’ve got in Escape is a sound, robust

variety, which gives growers an alternative,” says Mr Guest.

Given the weather challenges growers have faced in recent seasons, a spring wheat can offer some security when faced with the prospect of later wheat sowing dates, he suggests.

“Particularly if growers are late sowers of winter wheat, we have a challenging autumn season and the latest safe sowing date for winter wheat slips by – you have then got the option of spring wheat.”

Yellow rust And while yellow rust may not always pose a significant threat to spring wheat because of its shorter growing season, Escape’s 9 rating for resistance to the disease is worth noting, says Mr Guest.

“Escape’s yellow rust resistance is certainly going to be something people will look at. Yellow rust is not always a challenge in spring wheat, but it is still a significant risk.”

The company had further RL

LSPB managing director Chris Guest (left) and oilseed rape breeder Craig Padley in LSPB OSR variety trials at Impington, Cambridgeshire.

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14

success last winter, with the addition of hybrid oilseed rape variety Respect to the winter oilseed rape list for 2021/22, with a recommendation for the East/West region. With a yield rating of 106, Respect brings a new genetic trait to UK growers in the form of major gene RlmS resistance to phoma stem canker.

“We have released RlmS in two hybrids this season,” says Mr Guest.

“This gene was identified by breeders at NPZ, LSPB’s shareholder, who have been researching phoma resistances for decades. It was integrated into our breeding programmes and developed into a viable trait for commercial varieties.

“It is important to note that the RlmS gene is distinct from those widely found in current oilseed rape varieties, hence by developing our hybrids with different genetics we give extended and resilient phoma resistance in the field.

“There are problems in France with virulence to the Rlm7

resistance and what we don’t want to see is that problem come to the UK. We need to continue to look for new resistances to protect what we’ve already got, so, if we can spread the resistance portfolio, then we are not overly reliant on one single source – having a spread of genetic resistance is a good thing.”

The second LSPB OSR variety to feature the RlmS gene is Flemming, which is a candidate variety for the 2022/23 RL and adds turnip yellows virus (TuYV) resistance to the RlmS phoma resistance. Flemming promises the same yield performance and autumn vigour as Respect, with a more prostrate growth habit, says LSPB. Oilseed rape is not without its challenges, but an increased crop area is expected this autumn, says Mr Guest.

“The oilseed rape area is set to rebound to sustainable levels this autumn as, by most measures, it is the best break crop on a gross margin basis. I think the percentage of the crop that was drilled

JULY 2021 JULY 2021

03/06/2021 16:02

PLANT BREEDING VARIETIES

ai nable future

and subsequently harvested will be much higher this year.

“Crops were drilled into good conditions, got away well and we were fortunate in the autumn we had. We’ve had the challenges of very wet weather followed by very dry weather and frosts, so we are not out of the woods yet, but we would anticipate seeing maybe a 20% increase in area this autumn.

“Some are talking even a little higher than that, particularly with the price where it is, but a lot will hang on the conditions at harvest. However, we are going to have a late season because of the way April was. If everything comes together, we expect to see a 20-25% increase.”

Pulse crops Pulse crop varieties feature large in the LSPB portfolio and, alongside stalwarts such as spring beans Vertigo and Fanfare, which were first listed in 2013, and Lynx, listed in 2016, there have been some interesting new arrivals, including pale hilum spring bean

Yukon, which joined the then PGRO Recommended List in 2020; Macho, a large-seeded, high-yielding spring bean, also listed in 2020, and the marrowfat pea Akooma, which joined the new Descriptive List in 2021.

Work continues on the development of low vicine and convicine (LVC) varieties, with Allison and Bolivia added to the DL this year.

“Spring bean Yukon is low yielding on the DL, but I think yield on-farm will not be at the differential we see on the DL. It has early maturity and very strong downy mildew resistance, which means it is interesting from a farmer’s perspective, particularly the further north you go.

“The early maturity is something different; we think it could take spring beans into Northumberland and maybe into the southern parts of Scotland, not a significant area but we think it could claim quite some area as another break crop.

“That could be particularly important for growers depending

Phoma (far left), clubroot (centre) and downy mildew (below) are among the diseases being tackled within the LSPB breeding programme.

on what rules come out in the future in terms of crop diversification and also avoiding the risk of having too many eggs in one basket in the form of spring barley.

“We think Yukon is seven to 10 days, perhaps even two weeks, earlier than other beans in the York area and up into Northumberland and that’s the difference between getting a winter wheat crop in behind spring beans and not.

“We see the two-year gross margin becoming more important to farmers, particularly with the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme and the change to the Environmental Land Management scheme.

“Macho is a new large-seeded, high-yielding bean. It is really interesting from a processing perspective, particularly in those markets where they are removing the skin for splitting – the bigger the bean the better from that perspective.”

With the recent announcement of the withdrawal of seed treatment Wakil XL (cymoxanil + fludioxonil + metalaxyl-M) from June 30 in Great Britain (and June 1 in Northern Ireland), pea growers have lost their only line of defence against downy mildew and the emphasis will be placed squarely on varietal resistance to the disease.

Challenge “The big challenge will be in marrowfat peas. I don’t think it will have too much impact in spring beans, although downy mildew is certainly important, particularly if we were to have an increased area of spring beans,” says Mr Guest.

“We are breeding varieties with good downy mildew resistance – Lynx and Yukon for example.”

The LSPB marrowfat pea variety Akooma, which joined the Descriptive List for 2021, has a 5 rating for downy mildew resistance, the best in the category.

“We will continue to try and improve on that further – Akooma is a 5, we’d like to see a variety with a 7,” says Mr Guest.

JULY 2021 AF Seeds p14 15 LSPB TR AD RM.indd 3

15 03/06/2021 16:03

VARIETIES BLENDS

V

ariety mixtures, or blends, optimise genetic diversity to lower the risk of disease in a crop.

Their popularity in the UK has risen and fallen over the years, but in Denmark blends now make up 10% of the total wheat area grown.

Dr Rose Kristoffersen, of Aarhus University in Denmark, investigated the effect that wheat blends have on disease incidence, yields and resistance selection as part of her PhD. With a focus on septoria control, Dr Kristoffersen looked at various scenarios, including growing only susceptible varieties as a blend, only resistant varieties and a mixture of both. She also collaborated with Danish agricultural advisers, SEGES to explore how many different varieties would make up the best blend and what proportion should be susceptible versus resistant.

She says: “Overall, the most successful blends were the ones

Studies in Denmark have found growing a blend of different varieties in one field can lessen disease pressure in the crop, reduce the need for fungicides and show a slight yield uplift, but the approach comes with a number of caveats and considerations. Alice Dyer reports.

Mixing it up with variety blends with four varieties and where there was a mix of susceptible and resistant varieties.”

Fungicide requirements In these blends, septoria incidence was reduced by around 25% on average across the 32 samples analysed. The study also reviewed fungicide requirements and found that in a third to two thirds of variety mixtures, fungicides could be reduced. There was no evidence to suggest mixtures with resistant varieties worked better,

but the number of varieties grown was a better indicator for control.

“We looked at untreated crops and crops with one, two and three fungicide applications. We found that fungicides could generally be reduced when there were four varieties within the mix. It also seemed to depend on what mixture you had. In the blends with more diverse mixes of resistance levels, it was more likely you could skip fungicide applications.”

Reduced selection for fungicide resistance was also seen in most

Yield response to fungicides in mixtures Number of fungicide treatments 3 2 1 Untreated

Yield uplift (%) <1 2.5 3 4

Dr Rose Kristoffersen

mixtures and yields marginally increased in blends where fungicide inputs were lower (see table).

What is the science behind variety mixtures?

JThere are different mechanisms at play when it comes to how variety blends reduce disease incidence in crops.

Dr Rose Kristoffersen says: “The simple thing is the dilution, so if there are four varieties, the distance between them is much greater than if they were growing side by side, so for a spore moving from one plant to reach another it would be a lot further.

“If you have a resistant cultivar in the middle it might intercept some of the spores and those will not reproduce on the resistant variety, so it creates a sort of barrier for the susceptible plant.”

Growing blends can also work in a similar way to a vaccine, she adds.

“Because the genetics are a bit different, one cultivar might be infected with a spore that’s been produced for another cultivar. It will register there is a pathogen, but it might not be compatible. This will still trigger its resistance mechanism and the next time a different spore lands on the plant it will be prepared and become less affected.”

Then there is selection. At the beginning of the season, spore populations coming from different fields and varieties

will vary. When they land in a field with a single variety growing, the spore will adapt to only be compatible with the variety growing and it will multiply.

“Then you’re just selecting for a strain that’s adapted and can infect really rapidly. If you’ve got

different cultivars the selection will be interrupted all the time.”

Despite mutating rust pathogens causing havoc in crops over the last few years, wheat blends tend to work well for wind-borne diseases, but for splash-borne diseases such as septoria, it is more complicated.

In Denmark blends now make up 10% of the total wheat area grown.

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VARIETIES BLENDS Managing timings against different maturity profiles JOne of the potential challenges associated with variety blends is managing timings across the different maturity profiles.

When designing a blend for septoria management, the worry is that the varieties with the best resistance could have 10 days difference between when one is ready for a spray timing than the other, says John Miles, former product development manager at KWS and now seed technical manager with Agrii.

“Extase is very early, so you’re going to be looking at T1 a good week before Kerrin.

Some blends have things like Costello in, which is a great variety but quite late.

“If you’ve got one spray timing, it could be too late

When blends were first around in the 1960s, pathogens were much simpler organisms JOHN MILES for Extase, but too early for Costello, so this means you’re potentially ramping up the pressure. From a chemistry point of view, you’ve got unprotected leaves and you’re creating an infection source.

“When blends were first

around in the 1960s, pathogens were much simpler organisms.

Septoria races were nowhere near as complex or diverse and rust races were very simple. Now, you almost cannot make your blend diverse enough to have one that won’t be affected.

Pathogen “There is a race out there to get every part of your blend. The idea was always to lower risk but it doesn’t work if you’ve got a very complicated pathogen.”

However, Dr Kristoffersen says differing levels of plant maturity is usually just a theoretical concern and she hasn’t seen these issues in the field.

“All the cultivars in Denmark are quite similar in maturity so it wasn’t a big issue. Sometimes

there could be a slight difference in growth stage but not so much that it would affect fungicide timings.

“The different varieties seem to follow each other more as well and height differences tend to become less when they’re grown together and the maturity time becomes more synchronised. We think this is because the plants are competing against each other.”

more seed cost if the provider has to blend it up, but if you’re recouping that in fungicide spend and it’s environmentally beneficial it could be interesting.”

Lists to select varieties of a similar type with similar maturity. Height differences should not be too extreme and the varieties should have complementary resistances for disease, specific weight and straw strength. For hard feed you can select from Group 1, 2 and 4.

“If you save seed to grow next year, what you sow won’t be the same ratio you drilled originally. And it could be that if you save the blend, the dominant variety may not always be best for the next season.”

When it comes to marketing the crop, for anything other than feed or use on-farm, growers should have a contract in place before drilling. In organics, however, blends can sometimes be more acceptable.

“The pitfalls are that endusers are unlikely to accept blends. This is less of an issue if you’re using what you grow as feed on-farm,” he adds.

Finding a blend to suit the farm JHutchinsons is undertaking field scale trials of wheat blends across its Helix Farms network to see what their potential could be in reducing disease pressure and potentially pest pressure too.

At the Helix Farm East in Suffolk, which is run by Tom Jewers, a four-way blend of Graham, KWS Siskin, RGT Saki and KWS Extase is being trialled at field scale.

Rob Jewers, fertiliser and Rob Jewers

18

crop nutrition specialist at Hutchinsons, who is overseeing the field trials, says the mixture, which is split into 25% of each variety, was chosen based on the fact the varieties are not too closely related parentage-wise and offer differing genetic attributes.

He adds: “We also looked at crop height and growth habits, which was an interesting one. When the crop was first establishing it looked quite scruffy to start with but now it’s coming together it’s evened out.”

Maturity and harvest date was also an important consideration, to ensure the plot reached ripeness at the same time.

“So far, timing hasn’t been an issue,” Rob says.

“The crop didn’t have a T0, and T1 was the same timings, and it will be the same for T2. The cold weather hasn’t generated much disease anyway and the T1 has done a good job so far across the board.

“Potentially you’ve got a bit

Feed grower Rob adds: “Tom on the whole tends to be a feed grower rather than a milling wheat grower due to his access to mills.

“Our Helix Central site in Oxfordshire would have more access to mills and that would have to be a consideration when you’re thinking about variety selection to start with. For a feed market it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

“The blends are under evaluation using new and existing technologies and we will assess results in the coming months compared to conventional varieties.”

For farmers wanting to try variety blends out for themselves, Dr Simon Oxley, AHDB head of crop production systems, says: “Use the Recommended

JULY 2021

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VARIETIES FARM SAVED SEED Ahead of processing, take particular care with harvesting, handling and storing seed for farm-saving, advises Agrii’s Jim Carswell.

Farm saving seed offers valuable extra flexibility and control as well as useful cost savings. But it must be done in a well-planned and managed way if this is not to be at the expense of crop performance. Arable Farming finds out more.

S

uccessful farm saved seed involves four key essentials going back at least a season, according to Agrii seed business manager Matt Richardson.

These are: starting with the best raw material, using it to produce top quality seed, harvesting and storing it carefully and having it professionally cleaned and treated ahead of sowing.

“Choosing the right varieties for your seed crops is crucial as

Four key steps to farm save seed they will be your bread and butter two seasons on.

“As well as making use of the sustainability ratings our R&D team generate for independent indication of agronomic strength, make sure you have varieties you know suit your conditions, production regime and target

It’s your future, so it’s worth giving the crop the best agronomic care you can JIM CARSWELL

20 AF Seeds p20 22 FSS TR RM AD.indd 2

markets,” says Mr Richardson.

“Start off with the best quality C1 or C2 seed you can get too, especially in terms of weed and other impurities, ergot, germination and vigour.”

Quality Careful field choice and agronomy is vital in turning the best raw material into top quality farm-saved seed, maintains Agrii R&D manager, Jim Carswell.

For the greatest varietal purity with the least volunteer contamination, he recommends growing cereal seed after at least one year’s break and oilseed rape or pulse seed after three or more. Fields with minimal grass-weed and absolutely no

wild oat problems are equally important in his view.

“It’s your future, so it’s worth giving the crop the best agronomic care you can. Getting it away to the most promising start puts you on the front foot for the rest of the season.

“Keeping grass-weeds and broad-leaved weeds such as cleavers under good control throughout minimises impurities, making cleaning more successful. Effective fungicide treatment and plant growth regulation to keep crops clean and standing work wonders for seed quality and germination, as does optimum nutrition.”

Mr Carswell stresses that T3 is the most important Continues on page 22.

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VARIETIES FARM SAVED SEED fungicide to keep seed crops free from ear diseases that can carry over as well as causing shrivelled grain and low specific weights, with triazoles applied at sufficient rates as precisely as possible at anthesis (GS61-65) essential for the best results.

And good micro- as well as macro-nutrition is as important for seed quality as crop performance.

“We know how important manganese, zinc, copper, magnesium and boron, in particular, are for crop health and productivity.

And post-harvest grain analysis

highlights how widely these can vary in the seed, leaving crops exposed to a serious ‘hungry gap’ before their root systems are sufficiently well-developed.

Foliar application “As well as minimising such insufficiencies with foliar application based on timely in-season tissue analysis, I would strongly suggest farm savers check their seed nutrient status through grain analysis as a matter of course. That way they can overcome any problems by specifying a nutrient treatment

such as i-Man (Mn), Zax (Zn) or Agnition (Cu) as part of their on-farm seed processing.”

Ahead of professional processing, Mr Carswell also advises as much care as possible in harvesting, handling and storing seed for farm-saving.

This includes avoiding pre-harvest glyphosate treatment; cleaning combines and trailers ahead of harvesting to minimise cross-field contamination; the least aggressive grain drying; and separate storage under the best available conditions.

“As far in advance of harvest

as possible, we recommend growers plan their likely seed processing requirements around intended drilling dates with our local mobile team,” suggests Agrii farm saved seed business manager, Mark Taylor.

“You will be able to adjust any seed treatment as well as cleaning decisions on the day and we will do everything we can to fit our visits to your changing needs.

“A good idea of your main processing needs ahead of time, however, means they can arrive with exactly the right set-up for the most efficient job.”

In the field Adam Sykes, Yorkshire JAt North Milford Grange, just outside Tadcaster, Adam Sykes is currently growing around 85% of the seed he needs annually for the 500 hectares of winter wheat in J. Sykes and Sons’ six-year combinable and root cropping rotation. And he does so primarily for the control it gives rather than any cost-saving.

“We put a lot of work into growing our own seed,” he says.

“It would be so much easier to buy it all in. But doing it ourselves means we know exactly what we’re getting. We have it professionally cleaned and dressed to exactly the specification we want. And the flexibility this gives means we never have too much treated seed sitting in the shed if the weather turns against us.”

The family business Adam runs with his brother Ben has more than 30 years of experience with farm-saved seed. Their recipe has been refined and improved over time to deliver the same degree of quality and reliability underpinning their considerable potato-growing reputation.

Alongside wheat, they also grow much of their own spring barley seed. Oilseed rape and winter barley are, however, off

22 AF Seeds p20 22 FSS TR RM AD.indd 3

the agenda these days with the switch to hybrid varieties.

While he likes to keep up with variety progress, Adam Sykes is never in ‘too much of a rush’ to get into a new variety.

Instead, if he likes the look of a newcomer – like RGT Saki this season – he grows a decent commercial acreage from certified seed on a good field.

Then, if it performs well and comes in with a good sample, he saves enough for the next season and moves to growing it regularly for seed. In which case, he prefers to invest in C1 seed from Master Seeds for the greatest varietal purity and assurance of quality.

Enterprise KWS Zyatt, Crusoe, KWS Firefly and LG Skyscraper are the main commercial wheats in the ground at North Milford Grange, with three quarters of the enterprise focused on milling crops.

Interestingly, the family’s seed-growing emphasis is moving back to Crusoe this season for its reliability in protein delivery, in particular.

A diverse rotation – including vining peas and sugar beet as well as potatoes – means the seed crops are always grown

Adam Sykes (right) and Roy Jefford.

after a good clean break on carefully selected fields Robust disease control overall and at T3, in particular, is second nature, with the family’s emphasis on quality, non-feed markets. As is weed control. The crops are inspected closely ahead of harvest for cleanliness – especially from volunteer hybrid barley – and samples checked for health as they come off the combine.

“It they pass muster we store them in separate straw bale-lined bays in the ‘glasshouse’ – the shed we use for potato chitting in spring,” explains Mr Sykes.

“Even though we have a

modern-enough drier, our seed crops never go near it.

“Prioritising them for harvesting when they’re ready and the weather’s right means they go straight in the shed so there’s no danger of damaging the germ or introducing contamination from the nooks and crannies of the grain handling system that are almost impossible to get 100% clean.”

The seed is then carefully cleaned and dressed into one-tonne bags by Roy Jefford and his Agrii mobile. This is typically done in four separate visits – three in autumn and one in spring – preparing the right amount of seed ahead of the main drilling slots.

JULY 2021 04/06/2021 12:17

RYE VARIETIES

Winter rye on a Velcourt client’s farm this spring.

H

ybrid rye is becoming an increasingly important part of the rotation on the 2,400 hectares of fully irrigated land around Swaffham and Beachamwell, in Breckland, Norfolk, farmed

by Heygate Farms.

Trials at the farm last year showed yield gains approaching two tonnes/ha in favour of hybrid varieties over the conventional types the farm had been growing, with additional agronomic benefits as well, says farms manager William Gribbon.

“The land here is mainly light sand over chalk and so the aim is to put as much organic matter back in the soil as possible to build the level of humus.

“As part of that approach, we

Markets for hybrid rye include pig rations, milling and distilling.

Hybrid rye is rapidly gaining in popularity as an alternative to wheat and barley across the UK. Arable Farming reports.

Why hybrid rye is gaining ground have several pig units and rye fits well into the rotation because it produces a lot of straw which is used for bedding.

“We follow a wide rotation and believe it is important to grow a broad spread of crops, both to generate optimum returns and minimise risk, be that from price fluctuations or extremes of weather.

Despite the high rainfall, the hybrid rye was in fine condition coming out of winter WILLIAM GRIBBON

“In today’s business environment it is essential to have an end market for the crops we grow as the production costs involved are high and ever increasing, so everything is on contract.”

Tolerant Rye was first grown at the farm 30 years ago because the area was so infested with rabbits that it was difficult to produce good crops of cereals, Mr Gribbon says.

“The situation is different now because rabbit numbers are much lower and the whole farmed area can be irrigated, but rye remains an important part of our rotations, which are very broad-based because of the high proportion of vegetable crops.

“The crop is also extremely tolerant to dry conditions, which is important as the average annual rainfall in this area is 26 inches and it often suffers from

extended periods of drought.

There is a strong market for grain rye and the straw is an important reason why we grow the crop.”

Trials carried out at the farm recently have underlined considerable advantages in favour of hybrid varieties over conventional ones, Mr Gribbon says.

“The split field rye trial that we carried out last year highlighted the significant yield and agronomic benefits of hybrids over the conventional varieties which we had been growing, mainly using farm saved and dressed seed.

“The conventional variety yielded just 6.9t/ha while the hybrids – KWS Eterno and KWS Edmondo – yielded 8.8t/ha.

“The significantly higher grain and straw yields convinced us that was the way to go, so this season is the first that all our rye is the hybrid variety KWS Trebiano.

“Hybrid seed is more X

JULY 2021 AF Seeds p23 24 25 KH AD TR.indd 2

23 03/06/2021 15:28

VARIETIES RYE expensive, but the additional outlay is more than offset by the lower seed rate and significantly higher yield.”

It took about a week to drill the 140ha of hybrid rye, with the aim of getting it all in the ground by the third week of October to ensure good germination and give the crop the best chance to get its roots well down into the ground, he adds.

“We used a seed rate of 80kg/ ha, which is half the 160kg/ha used previously with conventional varieties.

“This winter has been very wet and the water table became so full that even here some areas flooded: the last time I saw that was 20 years ago.

“Despite the high rainfall, the hybrid rye was in fine condition coming out of winter and as the soils dry the roots will go down deep.

“The key is to keep the crop upright with a robust PGR programme, because rye doesn’t like feeding head first into the combine and harvesting it when flat is not a job that anyone wants.”

According to Richard Bailey, of Farmacy, who provides agronomy advice for Heygate

Combining hybrid rye.

Farms, interest in rye has taken off during the last few years, partly on the back of increasing demand from anaerobic digestion plants, but more recently for grain rye.

He says: “Many of my clients have asked about the possibility of growing the crop, but the main drawback has been the lack of open market demand, without which it is not a viable option.

“With interest from the pig sector increasing, that is beginning to change.”

A key advantage of growing rye is that it requires less nitrogen KIERAN WALSH

24 AF Seeds p23 24 25 KH AD TR.indd 3

A multi-purpose F1 hybrid rye which can be used for AD or to produce grain, the KWS Trebiano being grown by Heygate Farm this year offers a leading harvest index with excellent Hagberg Falling Number and sample quality, he says.

“It’s an excellent option for pig finishing or sow rations, delivering high grain and straw yields combined with low growing costs.

Food industry “The variety is also used in the food industry by manufacturers of products such as flour and breakfast cereals and for distilling or malt.

“We aim to drill hybrid rye between the end of September and early October, generally using a seed rate of 200-220 seeds/sq.m at the outset but increasing to 250 seeds/sq.m if sown later.

“Where rye follows a previous crop of rye, winter barley or later lifted root crops, the land will usually be ploughed to help minimise the risk of ergot, which is further reduced by the KWS PollenPlus technology incorporated into KWS Trebiano.”

In agronomy terms, hybrid rye is fairly easy to manage and has lower levels of inputs than other cereals, Mr Bailey says.

“While some growers will treat it as a low input crop, where high grain yields are

the goal it must receive an appropriate level of inputs.

“My recommendation to Heygate Farms is for around 150kg N/ha, plus sulphur, which goes on as solid fertiliser in two splits.

“Hybrid varieties have much stronger straw then conventional types, but our aim is to build on that quality by using a robust PGR programme to further reduce the risk of lodging, because combining flat rye is not a job that anyone wants.

“There are no inherent weed pressures at Heygate Farms, but from my previous experience of growing hybrid rye for AD I know the crop is highly competitive and does an excellent job of suppressing any weeds which are present.

“It is not necessary to spend a fortune on growing hybrid rye, but an appropriate level of investment is required to optimise its potential benefits and performance. The key is to have a robust, proactive PGR strategy in place.”

Peter Riley works primarily in Suffolk and Norfolk advising clients of Farmacy and is also chairman of the AHDB Recommended List for barley, oats and other cereals, including rye. He believes the crop is a valuable addition to UK rotations.

JULY 2021 03/06/2021 15:28

RYE VARIETIES to winter feed barley is required for lighter land situations.

“Having another cropping option on the dry, sandy loam and loamy sand soils which are common in my area, and where growing oilseed rape or producing consistent yields of wheat and barley is becoming increasingly difficult, is a very welcome development.”

Winter hybrid rye provides a range of benefits, says Kieran Walsh, an independent regional agronomist for Velcourt Advisory Services in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Dorset.

“The development of new varieties of hybrid rye and markets for the grain are exciting and extremely welcome developments for growers seeking a viable cropping alternative which will help make light land rotations more agronomically and financially resilient to changing weather patterns.

“The RL team is fully aware of the increasing interest in hybrid rye, not only from growers but also end users such as pig producers, feed compounders, food manufacturers and distillers.”

Research trial To reflect that and help growers throughout the UK better understand how individual varieties perform under different conditions, the RL team has added one additional rye research trial this year, sited in the north of England.

Mr Riley says: “Cereal hybrids have great potential for the future and you only have to look at the performance of some hybrid barleys, particularly in low rainfall areas such as East Anglia, to see the benefits.

“Although there is still a decent market for spring and winter malting barley, only so much can be grown because of limited demand and there is no question that a viable alternative

Benefits Introducing it into the cropping mix on one particular client’s farm has led to numerous benefits and combinations of different systems approaches with regards to inputs and agronomy, he says.

“The crop’s extensive tillering limits the amount of black-grass present in the sowing band without resorting to stacking residual herbicide options as we might have to do with wheat.

“Sowing in bands also allows us to inter-row hoe, which has dramatically reduced herbicide usage by 70% compared to wheat.”

Two additional areas that need monitoring in hybrid rye are growth habits and slug pressure, he adds.

“The crop’s vigorous development in spring has meant the use of PGRs has increased by 96%, representing an extra outlay of £6.78/ha compared to wheat.

“Slugs enjoy feeding on rye seed, so we have seen some increases in the use of ferric phosphate, which can differ from 0-28%.

“For us, a key advantage of growing rye is that it requires less nitrogen and we have seen a reduction of 44.7% compared to wheat, or an average of 29.5% less nitrogen across all crops.

“Utilising CO2 calculators to compare the emissions of wheat and rye, we have calculated that growing rye has reduced CO2 output by 53kg/t.”

JULY 2021 AF Seeds p23 24 25 KH AD TR.indd 4

25

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03/06/2021 15:30

VARIETIES VARIETY SELECTION Agrii has introduced Variety Sustainability Ratings (VSR) in a bid to help growers improve the sustainability of winter cereal growing. Arable Farming reports.

New ratings improve cereal sustainability

A

mong the most popular winter wheat varieties in 2020/21 – the first season following the introduction of Variety Susceptibility Ratings (VSR) to the Agrii Advisory Lists – national seed sales figures show almost 60% of plantings made using Agrii-supplied seed are in varieties with the highest sustainability ratings.

This compares with less than 40% for the rest of the market.

Wheats with the lowest ratings comprise just 12% of Agrii seed sales against 20% for the rest of the market (see figure 1).

A similar position is evident in winter barley plantings, analysed on an area basis to account for the major difference in sowing rate between hybrids and conventional seed. The data here shows more than half of Agrii-supplied mainstream barleys in the ground have the highest current sustainability ratings, with just 5% in the lowest category. Comparable

figures for the rest of the market are less than 40% and more than 20% respectively (see figure 2), taking into account other varieties which do not yet have a VSR. Colin Lloyd, Agrii head of agronomy, says: “Alongside improving soil structure and health, growing high performance varieties that are better able to withstand disease, more competitive with grass-weeds, less prone to lodging and as flexible and resilient as possible in their agronomy is key in increasing the sustainability of UK cereal production.

Intelligence “We developed our annual Advisory Lists to provide comprehensive intelligence on these and other important variety characteristics by bringing together the best intelligence from our own variety testing under commercial growing conditions with data on genetic potential from the ADHB Recommended Lists.

“Based on their relative importance in offering performance

Figure 1: Autumn winter wheat sales by VSR Varieties with Sustainability Ratings of:

25 or more

21-24

59%

Agrii Rest of the market

22%

39% 0

10

20

34% 30

40

Mainstream varieties (share of seed sales)

26 AF Seeds p26 TR RM AD.indd 2

Other varieties

20 or less

50

60

12% 7% 20%

70

80

7% 90

100

SOURCE: Agrii

Varieties with resilience are key to increasing the sustainability of UK cereal production, says Colin Lloyd.

reliability, management flexibility and the potential for reducing pesticide use and overall cost per tonne, we combined key character scores for each variety into overall sustainability ratings for the first time in last summer’s lists.”

Mr Lloyd and his Agrii R&D team took this step with the aim of providing a scientifically robust way of demonstrating the overall agronomic strength of each variety, giving farms ways of better narrowing down initial winter wheat and barley choices from the plethora of varieties on offer.

At the same time, they saw the ratings as valuable in allowing their growers and agronomists to set targets to drive future sustainability improvements and benchmark their progress in doing so. And also to enable the Agrii seed business to measure its own progress in steering the industry towards much greater environmental and economic sustainability.

Mr Lloyd says: “This season has been perfect proof of this

particular pudding. Our growers are clearly ahead of the rest of the industry in using wheats and barleys that are more sustainable in place of those we know to be tougher to manage sensibly and economically.

“It just goes to show how much of an impact we can have on such a key element of sustainability by providing decision-makers with the best possible intelligence at the right time.

“Which is why we continue to put so much resource into robust variety research, highlighting individual varieties’ specific strengths and weaknesses as well as their overall agronomic value under commercial regimes to enable the most appropriate management.

“It is also why we continually update our Advisory Lists from our trials observations and disease monitoring throughout the season and are refining and extending our Variety Sustainability Ratings to include new characteristics, such as BYDV resistance in wheats.”

Figure 2: Autumn winter barley plantings by VSR Varieties with Sustainability Ratings of:

19 or more

16-18

54%

Agrii Rest of the market

39% 0

10

20

21% 30

40

50

Mainstream varieties (share of planted area)

Other varieties

15 or less

60

38%

5%

21%

19%

70

80

90

100

SOURCE: Agrii

JULY 2021 04/06/2021 12:20

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