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2 Special CPM Supplement 2 Editor Sub Editor Writers Design and Production Publisher Tom Allen-Stevens Charlotte Lord Tom Allen-Stevens Andrew Blake Lucy de la Pasture Paul Spackman Brooks Design Angus McKirdy Editorial & Advertising Sales White House Barn, Hanwood, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. SY5 8LP Tel: (01743) tom@cpm-magazine.co.uk angus@cpm-magazine.co.uk Advertising Copy Brooks Design, 24 Claremont Hill, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. SY1 1RD Tel: (01743) fred@brooksdesign.co.uk CPM Editorial, advertising and sales offices are at White House Barn, Hanwood, Shrewsbury SY5 8LP. Tel: (01743) CPM is published ten times a year by CPM Ltd and is available free of charge to qualifying farmers and farm managers in the United Kingdom. In no way does CPM Ltd endorse, notarise or concur with any of the advice, recommendations or prescriptions reported in the magazine. If you are unsure about which recommendations to follow, please consult a professional agronomist. Always read the label. Use pesticides safely. CPM Ltd is not responsible for loss or damage to any unsolicited material, including photographs TalkingTilth A word from the editor. Three routes to OSR success A project set up to tackle the challenges of growing oilseed rape is showing promising signs of boosting farm yields. The weight of the trait Growers are putting more emphasis on the value of oilseed rape traits that offer resilience, says Dekalb. Oil s well that N s well There s significant evidence that nutrition applied at drilling gives an oilseed rape crop a valuable early boost. HAD enough sunshine? Even though crop greening is often a label claim, its effect on yield isn t something that s ever been quantified. That is until now. Getting the most from a management tool Oilseed rape has an essential rotational role for Flagleaf Farming in Lincs, where lessons from the 3x3 trials are helping deliver greater value from the crop. Thinking about divorce? It s at this time of year I understand why I m wedded to oilseed rape. I have fields of brilliant, clean yellow, that have just put on the most phenomenal growth, admirably overcoming the winter challenges. The crop is beautiful, gratifying and hugely rewarding. Closer inspection reveals precious little blackgrass at the base of the crop, and any that has survived the 2 cpm magazine oilseed focus residual herbicide faces stiff competition from the lattice of branches working their way to capture every ray of sunshine that makes its way into the canopy. Beneath the surface there s a taproot that s forged valuable channels through the soil, while at harvest it ll yield up its bounty of a natural, healthy oil that has solid market demand. But this relationship has had its low points the worry over cabbage stem flea beetle, the spotting of phoma and endless pressure over the winter from light leaf spot. This crop has demanded close attention, drained the finances and, just when it was set up for the winter, the pigeons moved in and grazed half of it off. So it s hardly surprising that some growers have decided it s time to part company with their OSR and look for alternative options to fill the void. Others, however, are standing by the crop, but are searching for a more fruitful future. It s with that in mind that CPM has put together this supplement, with the help of its sponsors. These three companies have already built up considerable proprietary knowledge in OSR, and have brought this together in a series of farm-based trials, to develop understanding in how to maximise profitability from the crop. We ve outlined what s under scrutiny in these trials and captured the findings so far (see page 4). We ve also taken a close look at some of the traits developed by a leading breeder to deliver on-farm benefits (p7). OSR s a crop for which establishment is so important, so we ve assessed some of the trials work into seedbed nutrition (p10), and we ve analysed results of research that s explored the value of green leaf area retention (p12), to bolster pod growth at the end of the season. Finally, we ve visited Flagleaf Farming in Lincs, one of the on-farm sites of the 3x3 trials, to find out how the latest thinking is put into practice to produce profitable OSR (p14). As for my crop, I ve got my eye on the long term it s true we re going through a rocky patch, but I ve faith in the belief that we can work towards a stronger future, that I can build on what I ve already learned about this crop, and secure some good times ahead. Tom Allen-Stevens has a 170ha farm in Oxon and isn t sure how the three-crop rule fits into this picture of wedded bliss. tom@cpm-magazine.co.uk

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4 Three routes to OSR success A project set up to tackle the challenges of growing oilseed rape is showing promising signs of boosting farm yields. CPM reports. By Paul Spackman Oilseed rape can be challenging to grow, especially when prices plummet to a level that exacerbates the need to find every way possible to maximise yields and return a positive margin. The 3x3 project, a technical partnership between BASF, Monsanto/Dekalb and Yara launched in Sept 2014, aims to overcome these challenges. The partnership addresses previous AHDB-funded work that suggests fertiliser use, crop protection and variety choice are major reasons for the 3t/ha gap between average farm yields and realistic varietal potential of up to 6t/ha. With expertise in the three key areas, the project partners believe bringing their knowledge together will be mutually beneficial and allow a more holistic approach to OSR management that improves crop yield and sustainability. The 3x3 initiative is now into its second season, and 4 cpm magazine oilseed focus combines farm trials in Lincs and Oxon with regular grower meetings to share ideas and best practice. There s a focus on: Improving fertiliser utilisation Getting the best from hybrid varieties Reducing vulnerability to weather extremes Overcoming resistance in pathogens, weeds and insects Optimising disease control and canopy manipulation. The project centres on in-field strip trials at two farms: Perdiswell Farm, near Woodstock (managed by James Price) and a Lincs-based farm managed by Flagleaf Farming. The trials compare typical farm agronomy against managed best practice approaches to growing three hybrid varieties. Each company also has smaller replicated plot trials to demonstrate existing, new or developmental varieties, chemistry or fertiliser practices. The 2015 strip trials were on DK Imiron CL (a Clearfield variety), DK Extrovert and DK Explicit, with different agronomic practices trialled on each one. The 2016 varieties are DK Imperial CL, DK Exalte (an AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Recommended List candidate for the North) and DK Exception (an RL candidate in the East/West). All strip trials were sown at 50 seeds/m 2 using host farm equipment a Claydon direct drill at Woodstock and subsoiler seeder at Lincoln. Crops were drilled on 29 Aug 2015 and 2 Sept The varieties have very different characteristics, so we re keen to see how agronomy, especially canopy management and disease control, can be tailored to get the best out of them, says Will Vaughan-France of Dekalb/Monsanto. It s about finding out how we can exploit our variety characteristics to maximise yield and gross margin. Fast-growing DK Exalte, for example, is a fast-growing and early-maturing variety likely to require tighter growth regulation. Exception is slightly later and Imperial has the latest development, but grows fast once it gets going in the spring, he notes. Will Vaughan-France is keen to ensure earliness of development isn t confused with hybrid vigour, as vigour covers several factors alongside development speed, such as resilience to disease, adverse weather or pests. It s about finding out how we can exploit variety characteristics to maximise yield and gross margin.

5 Will Vaughan-France is keen to see how canopy management and disease control can be tailored to get the best out of varieties. Accurately targeting crop nutrients from drilling through to flowering using soil and foliar analysis prior to applications is the focus of the nutrition aspect, says Yara s Natalie Wood. A best practice strategy starting with placed seedbed fertiliser to kick-start establishment and regular macro and micro nutrient applications targeted to crop requirement is being compared against standard farm practice (see table on p6). Total nitrogen rate at each site is largely dependent on canopy size in early spring so varies slightly for each variety. Some 20kg/ha was applied at drilling to improve establishment and build early canopy, while spring applications vary according to N-Sensor Absolute-N and 40-50kg/ha was applied as late foliar N for maintaining green area duration. Differences in crop establishment are measured with plant counts at the beginning of Oct, and Yara s digital-sensing technology later in the season. BASF s chemistry trials last year (2015 harvest) examined the benefits of applying autumn and/ or spring growth regulation and a flowering sclerotinia fungicide, explains the firm s agronomy manager James Waterhouse. Treatment combinations Five treatment combinations were trialled, based around Sunorg Pro (metconazole) for autumn growth regulation, spring PGR Caryx (mepiquat-chloride+ metconazole) and Pictor (boscalid+ dimoxystrobin) a non-azole flowering fungicide with light leaf spot activity. The crop received a pre-emergence herbicide of 2.5 l/ha Shadow (dimethenamid-p+ metazachlor+ quinmerac). A different tack has been taken this year, with three approaches to plant protection being examined: a low input strategy, a standard input strategy typical of many farms and a managed approach. Each has been tailored to fit around workloads on the host farms. James Waterhouse says the aim is to push OSR yields while comparing two prescriptive approaches which reflect normal practice with one managed approach that s tweaked as the season progresses. The three approaches have again received 2.5 l/ha of Shadow pre-em herbicide, plus late-nov and mid-march non-pgr fungicides to manage phoma and light leaf spot, in addition to the tailored programme (see table on p6). Both trial sites follow the same plan, although treatments may be varied slightly depending on disease pressure, notes BASF s Ruth Stanley. We ve found the Lincoln site has higher disease pressure from light leaf spot early in the season requiring an extra fungicide, whereas pressure increases in Oxon as the season progresses. Last season gave encouraging results for the managed fertiliser and chemistry approaches, however organisers caution against reading too much into one year s findings. Results from only the Woodstock trials are available for 2015 harvest due to a change of farm management at the Lincs site mid-way through last season this year will be the first full results for that site. Using placed seedbed fertiliser and targeted nutrition gave noticeably better establishment than typical farm practice during both seasons, says Natalie Wood. Plant establishment averaged 92% in Natalie Wood is aiming to target crop nutrients accurately from drilling through to flowering. best practice plots last year, compared with 66% under standard practice. There s a similar pattern of higher plant counts for the targeted approach this season, she notes. Initial establishment counts in Lincs on 1 Oct in DK Imperial show 53/m 2 in best practice strips, compared with 31/m 2 in standard practice. This good start has been carried through the season, she continues. Yara s ImageIT smartphone app was used to assess nitrogen uptake and biomass before winter and it revealed best practice crops contained around 10kg/ha more nitrogen than standard practice, while fresh weight by stem extension was some 13% higher. Increased rooting was observed where seedbed nutrition was used, which will have improved spring nutrient uptake, she explains. There were good visual differences between the two practices right up to flowering, notes Natalie Wood. Regular additions of macro and micro nutrients are far better than waiting for deficiencies to be seen, as the damage has already been done by then. Differences in biomass were reflected in the x3 initiative Joint initiative between BASF, Monsanto and Yara Addresses key challenges of growing oilseed rape Launched Sept 2014 Farm-based strip trials and smaller replicated plot trials Grower meetings to share results and ideas The project is due to run beyond this season cpm magazine oilseed focus 5

6 harvest, where the best practice approach on one variety (DK Explicit) yielded 26% (1.4t/ha) more than the rest of the field average of 4t/ha. This equated to a net benefit of 35/ha, although other results were less consistent. Imiron best practice approach for example, yielded the same as the rest of the field, but slightly (0.5t/ha) higher than the farm average. One big surprise from the trials was the variation in soil ph at the sandy loam Lincs site, where 18 samples ranged from ph 5.7 to 7.4 across the 150x100m trial area. There were clear visual differences between the 2015 spray treatments, with the higher growth regulator inputs showing benefits on branching, crop evenness and lodging control, James Waterhouse says. Caryx reduced height and leaning of all varieties, which will have a yield benefit, although this wasn t recorded in 2015 due to farm practicalities, he says. ADAS research has shown yield losses of up to 1.2t/ha in crops with only a 22.5 lean. Weed and disease control strategies worked well, with a clear reduction in LLS from using Pictor, he notes. With just one season of results from one site, organisers are keen to complete another year before drawing too many conclusions, especially as the weather skewed results in favour of later-maturing varieties in Although DK Explicit performed strongly, the variety is being superseded by DK Exclaim, an RL Candidate for the UK with stiffer straw and better phoma and LLS resistance, Will Vaughan-France notes. It s a variety we could see in 3x3 trials next year. Organisers hope 2016 will show clear differences in treatment methods to help inform agronomic decisions in 2016/17. James Waterhouse says focus is on pushing yields via canopy manipulation and growth regulation with Caryx and to further understand the interactions across a range of varieties and nutritional programmes. The interaction between variety, late nutrition and the use of Pictor at flowering to push yields is another area to develop, he adds. Using Pictor has been shown to increase yields in the absence of disease by increasing the healthy The 3x3 initiative combines farm trials with regular grower meetings to share ideas and best practice. area duration (HAD) of the crop, allowing the yieldbuilding period to be extended. ADAS trials have seen consistent increases of 0.22t/ha from one application of Pictor at mid-flower in the absence of disease. The 3x3 partners are also working with European colleagues to share best practice with other growers taking part in the +1 tonne project across Europe. The 3x3 strategy for 2016 Varieties DK Exalte DK Exception DK Imperial CL Fast-growing and early-maturing. Later maturing, tall but stiff Clearfield variety; latest to develop, but fast-growing in spring Fertiliser Best practice Liquid fertiliser placed below seed at drilling: 20-30kgN/ha 11:11:11 + sulphur Autumn micronutrient application (includes boron, molybdenum and magnesium): YaraVita Brassitrel Pro & potentially other micronutrients as identified through tissue analysis Standard farm practice None None First spring fertiliser (early Feb): N, P, K & S as required. Liquid N+S applied early-mid Feb Nuram 19:19 Variable N application based on N-Sensor results Second spring fertiliser (end Feb): Real-time variable N application using the Yara N Sensor Onset of stem extension: 3 litres/ha Brassitrel Pro & other micronutrients as identified through tissue analysis Mid-flowering: kg/ha N Nufol foliar nitrogen Second liquid N applied mid-late March: Nuram 37 (blanket application, not using N-Sensor system) None None Fungicide and growth regulation Additional growth regulation Additional fungicide Low-input None 0.4 l/ha Proline (prothioconazole) at mid-flower, before first petal fall Standard-input Caryx - autumn and spring Two applications of Pictor for sclerotinia during flowering Managed approach Caryx - autumn and spring (GAI readings suggested One application of Pictor during flowering (second lower rates than those used in the standard input applied if risk is high) approach) 6 cpm magazine oilseed focus

7 There s a great variability in OSR it s just a question of looking for it. The weight of the trait Growers are putting more emphasis on the value of oilseed rape traits that offer resilience, says Dekalb. CPM assesses what the breeder s bringing to the UK market. By Tom Allen-Stevens One of the great anomalies of the AHDB Recommended Lists for winter oilseed rape is that they appear to have precious little in common with the commercial success of a variety. DK Extrovert, for example, has occupied more arable acres than any other OSR variety for the past two years, according to data on market share gathered by analysts Kleffmann, and yet it s not even featured on either RL. I m not a fan of the small plot trials, especially when they re high input and high density, says senior Dekalb breeder Laurent Verdier. I don t think they really connect with what farmers are doing. This may be understandable as V316OL is the only variety from the Dekalb/Monsanto camp to appear on the current East/West RL, apart from enduring resident DK Cabernet. While its hybrids fare better on the North RL, none appear in the top six. That may be all set to change, however the company claims it currently has more varieties in RL and candidate trials than any other breeder. The Dekalb yield-protecting traits that have come together in its hybrids and brought the breeder commercial success with the likes of DK Extrovert, Exalte and Expower, feature in a bristle of new lines it s now brought to market (see panel on p8). And there are some interesting new traits that might just catch your eye. Must haves Priorities for breeders have changed, states Laurent Verdier. Previously growers looked for high output, while disease resistance, pod-shatter resistance and vigorous establishment were all nice to haves. Nowadays growers recognise these as must haves, alongside a high yield. It s a position that Dekalb has always bred for, he claims. The company boasts more than 100,000 European trial plots, with breeding stations stretching from Cambridge to Poland. None of these receive fungicides or growth regulator, and many are found in very harsh environments, which weeds out the non-performers. Unlike wheat, less is more in OSR if a variety succeeds in a harsh environment, it will do even better in a kinder situation where it s pushed, he explains. With wheat, that s not always the case many lines are specific to certain field conditions. With a background in maize breeding, Laurent Verdier was a wheat breeder for five years before Laurent Verdier believes traits that were previously considered nice to haves are now must haves. joining Dekalb in 2002, and now works alongside Jean-Pierre Despeghel, who leads Dekalb s European OSR breeding programme. I have a scientific background in hybrids, and that comes out best in OSR because the crop has a natural tendency to cross-pollinate. As well as the heterosis, or hybrid vigour this brings, it also means you can introduce and stack traits far quicker than with pure lines. There s a great variability in OSR it s just a question of looking for it and making the most of it through hybrids. There are three benchmark traits now standard across the DK portfolio: double phoma resistance combines the Rlm7 resistance gene with good background genetics to deliver high scores for stem canker, he says. The pod-shatter resistance was cpm magazine oilseed focus 7

8 Dekalb s yield-protecting traits are now available in semi-dwarf newcomer DK Secret, notes Matthew Clarke. identified by good fortune many years ago following a hailstorm that thundered through the Dekalb plots in France, leaving just a few lines that kept their seed. Vigorous early growth is another trait the breeder claims is inbred across the DK lines and protects the crop against establishment stress, says Laurent Verdier. This is what comes of having breeding stations in harsh environments. When an OSR plant is subjected to stress, one reaction is to compensate by putting on more growth, more branches and more seed. So you look to capture that trait. Dekalb is breeding for stress tolerance, he continues, and has identified a number of key stresses the crop is subjected to, such as diseases, weeds and pest, where tolerance is increasingly delivered through the seed. More has to come from the seed in the bag, rather than chemistry in the can you apply after drilling, he notes. There s one trait in particular they started work on ten years ago, and it s now coming through in commercial lines, he says. Nutrient stress is a major challenge for European growers. We re actually quite happy with the nitrogen restrictions in France DK Exception, for example, was bred to perform well on just 140kgN/ha. Varieties have been selected that not only yield well in optimum conditions, but also adapt to lower N DK Exclaim is slower developing than DK Expower and Exalte, so suitable for early drilling. situations. It s not just a regulatory restriction. A crop may fail to take up some of its final N dose due to dry conditions, points out Laurent Verdier. Translating this genetic material into varieties that are specifically geared towards UK challenges is down to Matthew Clarke, who runs Dekalb s UK breeding programme. Some DK lines don t touch the UK National List system, he explains, simply because seed availability may mean they re registered elsewhere in Europe. While this skews what material is selected for UK RL trials, it doesn t restrict which varieties he can choose for the UK market, he says. Our maritime climate gives us the highest disease pressure of all the major European OSR-growing countries. We also arguably face the highest pest pressure, from cabbage stem flea beetle, slugs and pigeons, and an unpredictable harvest. But on the plus side, there s little winter kill in the UK and catastrophic droughts are rare. Light leaf spot resistance has been a major priority, he reveals. I get excited when I see high levels of LLS in trials, and this year for the first time, there are levels in our southern plots that give you confidence in LLS ratings. The good news for us is that all our candidate and pipeline material, as well as most of our current varieties, perform much better than the current stronger lines on the RL. He disagrees with higher seed rates planted earlier as a strategy against CSFB. All you do is encourage the pest and exacerbate the problem for later years. Some varieties branch away and grow through the damage, which are the ones we look to take forward. The pest is part of what he sees as a perfect storm brewing for crops this year that have already been hit by phoma, LLS, slow development, pigeon grazing and waterlogging. Robust varieties may show little yield damage from CSFB, but for varieties weak on other New Dekalb/Monsanto varieties at a glance Variety Highlights DK Exclaim RL candidate with gross output 103 (East/West) and 105 (North), lodging 8 and light leaf spot 7 Slower developing than DK Expower and Exalte, so suitable for early drilling DK Exception RL candidate for East/West with gross output 104, lodging 8 and stem canker 9 Performs consistently well across Europe can be pushed DK Imagis CL RL described newcomer for North with gross output 103 and lodging 8 First standard height Clearfield line on RL with pod-shatter resistance and yield in line with non-cl hybrids DK Platinium Clubroot tolerance, pod-shatter resistance and a yield on a par with DK Expower Has performed surprisingly well in strip trials where clubroot hasn t been identified as a problem DK Secret Semi-dwarf on RL candidate list with gross output 101, lodging 9, LLS 8 and stem canker 8 (interpreted from NL2 summary) Early flowering with highest merit rating on NL (for agronomic scores) V324OL HOLL newcomer to North RL with gross output 109 and lodging 8 Very similar to V316OL with slightly better LLS score Comments provided by Will Vaughan-France, Dekalb aspects, it could be the final straw. Looking forward, he highlights traits he thinks growers will favour and come back to. The big one is N efficiency, but we re building yield-protecting traits into Clearfield (CL), semi-dwarf and HOLL varieties, too. I think we may have been underestimating the performance of CL lines as trials don t show them in their true light. Clubroot has always been a major threat, especially in Scotland where 50% of land is infected, but we now have some very promising material, headed up by DK Platinium. And it s beneath the surface where he reckons future progress with varieties lies. Virgin land always produces the highest OSR yields, which tells you that something significant is going on in the root zone. Laurent Verdier points to Monsanto s recent joint venture with novel biological company Novazyme as an indication of where future traits may lie. There s no doubt this technology will offer growers more valued solutions as understanding develops and pressure builds to reduce dependence on chemistry. Our job is to ensure they access the full benefits through the seed they purchase. DK Exception is billed as a blockbuster variety, performing consistently well across Europe, and it can be pushed. 8 cpm magazine oilseed focus

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10 There s significant evidence that nutrition applied at drilling gives an oilseed rape crop a valuable early boost. CPM finds out. By Andrew Blake Oil s well that N s well Winter oilseed rape under-nourished during its early growth stages is unlikely to perform as well as it might. That s the message from Yara after its latest trials which highlight the role of adequate nitrogen and other nutrients in achieving good autumn establishment and in making spring fertiliser savings. The work, part of the 3x3 Driving OSR Forward initiative between Yara, BASF and Monsanto, comes against the background of a decline in the use of autumn nitrogen on the crop. In 1985 about 90% of the UK area was autumndressed with an average rate of just over 50kgN/ha, according to Yara agronomist Ian Matts. Now, mainly because of the impact of NVZ restrictions as well as changes in how the crop is established and the varieties being grown, only about a third of the crop gets autumn N, and the average application rate has halved, he says. The current optimum rate, identified through Yara trial work, for when nitrogen is broadcast onto the soil at drilling is 60-70kgN/ha. But this is above the permissible limit within NVZs, which currently restricts growers to just 30kgN/ha from 1 Sept, and no manufactured nitrogen fertiliser after 31 Oct. The company has recently been re-examining the impact of N at drilling as well as the role of phosphate and other nutrients applied then, both broadcast and placed. If you can get nitrogen into the crop early on, you re then able to pull back on the rate in the spring. The aim of the work at the 3x3 sites isn t simply to check what the effect of a single trial looking at one input is on yield it s trying to bring everything together in a combination of all the trials that we ve done, especially when it comes to autumn nitrogen. For example, some people may say their crops look as though they don t need N so they don t apply any. However the benefit of autumn N may not be in direct yield increase, he explains, which is harder to identify in a single trial. If you can get nitrogen into the crop early on, you re then able to pull back on the rate in the spring. Because it s used more efficiently, for example 1kg applied in the autumn and effectively banked by the crop can have the same effect as 1.5kg applied in the spring. (see chart below). N Opt (kg N / ha) Effect of crop N on optimum N R 2 = Source: Yara, 15 trials Crop Nitrogen (kg N /ha) Average OSR root length Average root length (cm) Imperial Exalte Exception Variety Best practice Standard practice Source: Yara, 2015 Burton, Lincs Vigorous OSR crops may take up as much as 100kgN/ha in the autumn, he notes. You re unlikely to have that level available in the soil after a cereal, so an N application is likely to be beneficial. Only after heavy muck treatments, on highly organic soils or when very mild weather all winter has increased N mineralisation may that benefit be less than 100%. Autumn N offers a double-benefits whammy, he maintains. The better canopy allows you to reduce the optimum spring N requirement, but you also have a more efficient root system which allows the crop to use spring N more efficiently. One way to adjust to the NVZ limit on autumn N use is to place the fertiliser in a band with the seed via the drill rather than broadcasting it on the surface at the same time, notes Ian Matts. The results of our two-year trial showed 25kgN/ha to be most cost effective rate when placed. It gave a 0.42t/ha yield increase which was 0.2t/ha more than from broadcasting the same rate. We ve also seen benefits from applying 50kg/ha of phosphate with the nitrogen unless we re using more than 30kgN/ha. (see table on p11). Given a typical break-even yield response to micronutrients and the regularity of deficiencies seen, the inclusion of the most important ones for the crop as best practice makes sense, he suggests. Figures from our laboratory show, for example, that 78% of the crop is deficient in boron each year which is needed for root and shoot development. Last season there was also an average yield increase of 0.32t/ha from applying liquid boron, magnesium or zinc in with the nitrogen over straight nitrogen Response to placed nutrition in OSR Yield increase over untreated (t/ha) Return on investment in nitrogen Return ( / spent on N) Source: Yara, Source: Yara 0.25 Zinc Magnesium Boron Milling 135 Feed Winter Oilseed cpm magazine oilseed focus

11 Ian Matts has recently been re-examining the impact of N at drilling as well as the role of phosphate and other nutrients. (30kgN/ha) alone. (see chart on p10). These nutrients are important in their own right for OSR, but it s also important not just to focus on nitrogen alone to ensure we re making best use of the nitrogen applied and realising the maximum returns. In the field Autumn nutrition s impact on establishing the crop is being assessed at the 3x3 sites at Burton Waters in Lincs and at Woodstock in Oxon. There Yara s best practice approach placing 200 l/ha of an 11:11:11 NPK fertiliser along with the seed is being compared with the standard UK farm practice of no nutrition, applied across three varieties DK Imperial, Exalte and Exception. Despite this season s generally favourable autumn conditions, which allowed the unfertilised crop to catch up, by the end of Jan the best practice plots still had up to 21% more plants established, Ian Matts notes. Yield response to autumn-applied phosphate Year Application Phosphate Nitrogen Yield response method rate (kg/ha) rate (kg/ha) over N alone (t/ha) 2010 Broadcast Broadcast Placed Placed Source: Yara Strategy switch in Northants It shows the benefit of autumn nutrition on speed of establishment, which at the Lincs site continued through to the spring, with the strips that had phosphate in the autumn coming into flower earlier than those which didn t receive any. This benefit is of value regardless of the season, but can make a big difference in more challenging autumns when speed of establishment could potentially mean the difference between having a crop or not. Crop biomass was measured through weighing fresh matter and the firm s ImageIT app was used at both sites to assess how much nitrogen had been taken up through the winter (see table below). The best practice strips had 20kg/ha of N, P2O5 and K2O applied in the seedbed, and as can be seen from the table, more than 20kg/ha extra has been captured in most of these plots compared to the standard practice plots. It s that extra which has been captured in the canopy which can be related to a reduction in spring applied nitrogen. Average root lengths and diameters were also measured. In all cases, the best practice approach proved advantageous (see chart on p10). On average OSR at 260/t, with nitrogen at 68p/kg returns nearly 3.50 for each 1 spent (see chart on p10). But echoing his micronutrients message, he urges growers to consider the value of all nutrients, not just nitrogen, when it comes to spring dressings. N uptake at 3x3 sites A nitrogen response trial in Lincs last year compared the yield responses to straight N (as YaraBela Extran) with those from the same rate of N applied as YaraMila ExtraGrass which also contains small amounts of phosphorus, potash and sulphur. In all cases the latter produced higher yields. It s a useful reminder that where nitrogen isn t the limiting factor you can t just throw more nitrogen at the crop and get a higher yield. You have to focus on all the nutrients to get the best out of it. Yara believes there are three key timings for N inputs to the crop autumn, spring and during flowering, says Ian Matts. The final application during flowering is the least likely of the three to be implemented, especially when the economics of growing the crop are low; however this shouldn t be the case. Although we don t see a yield response from this application in every crop, there s still an average yield increase of 0.33t/ha from an application of 40-60kgN/ha, giving a return of around for every 1 spent on nitrogen. When application rates get close to the maximum permitted under Nmax, this application can actually provide a better return than if it was all applied in the spring, so it s important this isn t overlooked. Burton, Lincs Woodstock, Oxon Treatment N uptake (kg/ha) Fresh matter (t/ha) N uptake (kg/ha) Fresh matter (t/ha) Imperial best Imperial farm Exalte best Exalte farm Exception best Exception farm Source: Yara, Yara s trial results have prompted Ian Matts to adopt a similar early crop feeding approach to the 400ha of winter oilseed rape grown at Brixworth Farming in Northants where he is arable director. We have a Sumo Trio drill where we ve removed the discs and replaced them with a couple of tines either side of the leg to help close the slot. We ve also added a tank for applying liquid N and P as well as a seed hopper, and we have another for slug pellets to apply after the roller as required. We started with this approach three seasons ago on the back of the trial results and have chosen to apply 18kgN/ha and 27kg/ha P2O5. The change of establishment strategy coincided with a more targeted approach to overall phosphate management, he explains. We re looking to manage our soils to the top of Index 1, rather than 2, and focusing on in-crop management of phosphate, rather than just applying it to the soil to build or maintain the soil indices. We re concentrating on getting the phosphate right to try to capture more of the phosphate locked up in the soil and make it work harder for us through managing soil organic matter and focussing on soil structure to help increase the efficiency of uptake from the soil. The rates were also chosen for logistical reasons, he explains. With the sizes of the tank and the hopper we wanted to make sure we were filling up both at the same time to avoid too much downtime. We ve had very good OSR establishment over the past few years and some very good yields. Liquid N and P are band applied from a tank mounted on the Sumo Trio. That s obviously not all down to the change, but it hasn t held us up and hasn t caused any complications at establishment time. It s been all about focusing on getting the crop through the ground quickly. And we ve noticed that where we ve had strips that didn t have those nutrients at drilling, the crop s still been relatively backward and that s still noticeable even as it comes into flowering. cpm magazine oilseed focus 11

12 HAD enough sunshine? Even though crop greening is often a label claim, its effect on yield isn t something that s ever been quantified. That is until now. CPM gets up to date with the latest research on OSR. By Lucy de la Pasture Crop greening is a phenomenon that was first noticed in the era of strobilurins and more recently following the application of SDHIs. Recent work by ADAS, sponsored by BASF, has begun to explain what s happening to the oilseed rape crop and how this greening effect is translating into a yield response. Identifying a yield response due to a physiological effect in the field isn t straightforward, explains ADAS plant pathologist, Julie Smith. Under field conditions it s not possible to rely on zero disease conditions. There s always a likelihood that spores will be around, even if at only low levels. Disease can be present at a sub-clinical level, where a defence reaction is triggered within the plant but disease symptoms aren t actually expressed. To look at the effects a fungicide may be having over and above visible disease control, we use the healthy area duration (HAD) of the crop, she says. 12 cpm magazine oilseed focus The HAD value in OSR is an integral of the green leaf area index (GLAI) over time. Essentially it s a measure of how green the crop is and for how long, so the higher the HAD value the longer the crop stays green. There s a tighter relationship between HAD and yield than there is between disease severity and yield so HAD is a useful tool to look for these unexplained effects under ordinary field conditions, explains Julie Smith. Treatments can be compared by measuring HAD and plotting against yield. If a fungicide is having a physiological effect, we can spot this because there s a shift in the data above and to the right of the best line fit. (see chart on p13). Critical period To assess the effects of Pictor (boscalid+ dimoxystrobin), the OSR crop was destructively sampled to assess GLAI over the period from mid-flowering to green/brown seed in the pod deemed the critical period for pod set and fill. Both active ingredients are known to cause a greening effect when applied to the crop as a preventative treatment for sclerotinia infection, but this hadn t previously been quantified. Likewise, a yield response has been observed in a number of trials after a Pictor application, in the absence of visible disease. The BASF and ADAS work wanted to establish a scientific link between the two, outlines Julie Smith. BASF s Clare Tucker points out that when they looked at the data set generated from 48 trials over a period of 5-6 years, they found that there was an average unexplained yield response of 0.28t/ha where Pictor had been applied at yellow bud and mid-flower. These were low disease/no visible disease trials so there s a definite trend that we re seeing an unidentifiable Julie Smith has been studying healthy area duration (HAD) to determine the physiological effects of Pictor. There s a definite trend that we re seeing an unidentifiable yield response.

13 The ADAS work has highlighted the importance of GLAI as opposed to the whole canopy (GAI) when it comes to pod fill. yield response. Sclerotinia isn t a disease you can control reactively, you have to spray before it comes into the crop. We wanted to try and quantify this effect to see if it would still be cost effective for growers to apply Pictor, even if conditions turn out to be unfavourable for sclerotinia development, she says, adding that a large number of growers apply a sclerotinia treatment as an insurance measure. So what did ADAS find when they studied HAD in field crops during the 2014 and 2015 seasons? They were two very different seasons, says Julie Smith. In 2014, canopies were smaller than in 2015, and there were significant differences in HAD between Pictor applied once at mid-flower or twice yellow bud and mid-flower compared to a single application of Pictor at yellow bud. We found a small increase in GLAI (0.2 units) caused an increase of 5% in the light intercepted by the crop by the end of flowering. This enabled the crop to maximise photosynthesis and corresponded to a 0.3t/ha increase in yield, she explains. So only a very small increase in light interception can have a big effect. In this season, every extra unit of HAD delivered an additional 0.04t/ha, linking the greening effect to a quantifiable yield response. In 2015, canopies were much bigger but the pattern of effects was the same as observed in 2014, with increases in GLAI during the critical period. But 2015 was also an unusual year because there were high levels of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) or sunshine. As a result of these two factors, there weren t always yield responses in the absence of disease. There was curvature in the HAD-yield relationship in 2015, which indicates that the full benefit of increased HAD couldn t be realised because the crop had reached its yield potential on the site, explains Julie Smith, adding that there was some limited evidence that Pictor was still increasing yield per unit HAD. One of the important distinctions that the ADAS work has highlighted is the importance of the GLAI as opposed to the whole canopy (GAI) when it comes to pod fill. In OSR we re very focused on canopy size throughout the growth of the crop, aiming for the benchmark canopy of GAI 3.5 at mid-flowering, explains Clare Tucker. By looking at HAD of the OSR crop, it s the first time that GLAI has been identified as being the important factor from mid-flower rather than the GAI of the whole canopy. The HAD work shows that influencing the leaf proportion and green retention during the critical period from mid-flower to green seed, can provide a yield response. So there appears to be a link between yield and manipulating the GLAI of the OSR crop which can be explained by the increase in HAD. Leaf area normally begins to decline from mid-flowering, but by prolonging GLAI there s a positive effect on seed size and thousand seed weight (TSW). Working harder Seed number is determined by photosynthesis during a day C period after flowering, normally 2-3 weeks, explains Julie Smith. We ve found evidence that green tissue is working harder after an application of Pictor. The leaves are greener (measured using a SPAD meter) and have an increased photosynthetic rate after application. We ve also found that the physiological effects caused by Pictor can provide the crop with a buffer against some of the factors that can reduce yield, such as reduced water availability during pod fill and low light levels during the summer, she says. So increasing HAD broadly leads to increased photosynthesis, and this can make an additional contribution to yield, but what s happening in the plant to provide this buffering effect? Clare Tucker has a possible explanation. Both boscalid (SDHI) and dimoxystrobin (strobilurin) reduce the levels of ethylene when you look at their effect on the plant s biochemistry. One of the most common and pronounced response of plants to environmental stresses is the enhanced production of ethylene, essentially it acts as a stress hormone. OSR isn t good at dealing with water stress, stomatal control is poor and the plant can quickly shut down, reducing photosynthesis and triggering the production of abscisic acid, which triggers pod shatter (dehiscence), explains Clare Tucker. Child et al. (1998) observed a correlation between delayed pod shattering and reduced ethylene production, so it follows that the down-regulation of ethylene production caused by Pictor reduces the stress response. This effect on ethylene is unique to boscalid and dimoxystrobin and isn t typical of other SDHIs used in OSR, adds Clare Tucker. James Price has been hosting the ADAS/BASF work over the past two seasons on his farm in Oxon. His brashy soil tends to be drought prone during the pod set and fill period and, as a result, yields are very variable, averaging 3.6t/ha over the past five years. We tend to get the highest yields on the farm from OSR drilled during the last week in Aug but yield stability is something we find difficult to achieve. In the past, we ve tended to base a sclerotinia treatment around Prosaro (tebuconazole+ prothioconazole), keeping things Yield as a function of HAD Yield Untreated Fungicide with no additional effects Fungicide with additional effects (each unit of HAD gives additional yield) HAD A physiological effect of a fungicide is shown through a shift in the data above and to the right of the best line fit. Source: ADAS relatively cheap at this time of year because the costs are so front-loaded growing OSR, he explains. Looking into the greening effect is a new thing and the buffering effect in particular is something that s very interesting and may be useful on our soil type. If we can increase our HAD by applying Pictor and the crops can stand a degree of moisture stress without losing yield, that has to help. The only way to find out is to try, says James Price, who is planning to apply Pictor at mid-flower this spring. The big question has to be, is it still cost effective to apply Pictor if conditions aren t predisposed to sclerotinia development? Clare Tucker believes it is. Pictor costs 30-35/ha and ADAS trials produce an average yield response of 0.23t/ha, if OSR is 250/t then that s an additional yield worth And in a season like this, where light leaf spot is rampant, there s the added benefit of top-up LLS control using different chemistry, she adds. Both boscalid (SDHI) and dimoxystrobin (strobilurin) reduce the levels of ethylene essentially a plant s stress hormone, reckons Clare Tucker. cpm magazine oilseed focus 13

14 Getting the most from a management tool Oilseed rape has an essential rotational role for Flagleaf Farming in Lincs, where lessons from the 3x3 trials are helping deliver greater value from the crop. CPM pays a visit. By Tom Allen-Stevens Jim Beeden has an over-riding objective that s driving many of the management decisions he s making for Flagleaf Farming and the 2600ha the business crops in Lincs. We are determined to get on top of blackgrass, he says. You can watch a combine yield meter plummet from 10t/ha to just 6t/ha purely because of a bad patch of blackgrass it s robbing the farm, so we need a rotation that stays on top of it. Based near Welton, north of Lincoln, a selection of spring crops now occupy around a third of the cropped area on soils that range from limestone brash to heavy clays. The oilseed rape area has dropped back to around 430ha, but it s still the second largest crop after winter wheat and the mainstay rotational tool against blackgrass. We need break crops, but we need profitable break crops. We have spring crops, we re introducing cover crops, we re improving the soils, which in turn will help against blackgrass. But with OSR there s an established technique against the weed that works it s a crop that s required as part of the management toolkit, notes Jim Beeden. It s not cheap to grow, however and it won t bring you out-and-out profitability. But it can deliver sustainability to an arable farming system if it s grown well. The establishment system for the crop revolves around disturbing the surface as little as possible to ensure residual herbicides are as effective as they can be. But a good structure underneath and seed-to-soil contact are essential to get the crop off to a good start, says Jim Beeden. We establish every acre of OSR behind a subsoiler leg. On kinder land, with less blackgrass, that s with a 4.5m Kverneland CTS with an Opico seeder. A 3.5m five-leg Challenger Agri with a Stocks seeder delivers the low disturbance needed for the heavier fields with blackgrass. We then roll twice. An important part of the system is starter fertiliser applied to the seedbed, delivering just under 30kgN/ha and 60kg/ha of phosphate. He strongly believes this helps the crop get off to a good start, and he s now seen the benefits in the 3x3 trial plots that he s hosting on the farm. DK Extrovert is considered a good, solid variety that delivers plenty of growth. You definitely need starter fertiliser it s a no-brainer in terms of getting the crop underway. They re using an 11:11:11 product in the trials, and we ll see whether that s right, but I personally feel that it s the N the crop needs and that 30kgN/ha isn t enough. So there s a change in store for this autumn. A Cultivating Solutions Rapid Lift toolbar will go in place of the System Disc on the front of one of the farm s Väderstad Rapid 6m drills. The distance between the subsoiler legs will drop from 650mm to 500mm, with the seed drilled in two rows behind each leg, 150mm apart. We ll get better placement of the seed and the drill s press wheel for seed-to-soil contact. But we ll It won t bring you out-and-out profitability, but it can deliver sustainability if it s grown well. 14 cpm magazine oilseed focus

15 The N-Sensor has been set to Absolute N, that automatically determines the correct rate to apply. also apply the seedbed fertiliser in bands directly to the seed. It ll give the new crop a concentrated hit without exceeding NVZ limits. OSR doesn t have the bravest root, so if you put the fertiliser right where it s needed that s bound to be a benefit. The final element ensuring Jim Beeden s crop establishes well is the seed itself. We grow Monsanto hybrids because they deliver high vigour and have a good disease profile, especially against phoma we re increasingly looking for varieties with good disease resistance because the cost of fungicides is phenomenal, he says. We need the hybrid vigour, especially on the clay. What I m looking for is a strong thick growth through the autumn that will counter pigeon and flea beetle damage I d much rather have a full canopy to control and keep back than a backward crop I have to try to nurture forward. In autumn 2015, DK Explicit went into the earlier drillings, starting in mid Aug. It s later developing, so suited to the early slot. We also have DK Extrovert, which is a good, solid variety that delivers plenty of growth, and then V316OL, mainly grown for the HOLL premium. Drilled at seeds/m 2, the aim is to establish 30 plants/m 2. The good phoma resistance gives you a lot of flexibility to manage the crop according to the canopy in the autumn, and you can focus more on light leaf spot control, notes Jim Beeden. Some of the Extrovert didn t need any autumn fungicide at all, while tebuconazole was applied where some growth regulation was needed. The V316OL was under LLS pressure, so had tebuconazole in Nov, followed by prothioconazole a month later. The cold start this spring has brought management benefits as well as downsides for the crop. Growth has In a change this autumn, the subsoiler-seeder establishment system will be switched to one based on the drill with fertiliser band-applied to the seed rows. been relatively slow to take off. There s been a worrying amount of LLS and few spray windows to deal with it. But we haven t needed any growth regulation in the past we ve had good results with Caryx (mepiquat chloride+ metconazole) and I understand it s done well in the 3x3 trials, says Jim Beeden. On-the-move adjustments Decisions on feeding the crop, with the aim of a Green Area Index of 3.5 at flowering, are now left largely to the farm s N-Sensor. This sits on top of the tractor cab scanning the crop as the fertiliser is applied and makes on-the-move adjustments to the rate. You can set an overall target rate and the N-Sensor will adjust this, according to crop canopy. But for the past two years, Flagleaf s N-Sensor has been set to Absolute N, that automatically determines the correct rate to apply. When we first started using Absolute N we were surprised by some of the rates it applied the operator would ring me from the field to question whether it was working properly. But overall it applies roughly what you d expect, and puts less pressure on the operator to set the rate correctly for each field. It s a huge leap of faith, but one that s backed up by endless trials work Yara s carried out, so there s a methodology there you don t get with every system. The fertiliser applied is all liquid, starting in mid Feb with Nuram 35 + S (35% N + 7% SO3), followed by another dose in mid March. An application of Nufol 20 (20% N) at mid-late flowering is applied across the crop delivering 40-50kgN/ha at a set rate. The overall rate applied varies according to growth, and last year was as low as kgN/ha. Again, autumn fertiliser helps here because the crop captures so much N in the autumn, so less is needed in spring, notes Jim Beeden. There is an argument we don t apply enough S there s only about 40kg/ha going on, while we should be putting on 60kg/ha. But this isn t showing up in tissue samples. Boron and molybdenum, on the other hand, are showing up as deficient, and they re getting a benefit from applying these nutrients in the 3x3 trials, so we keep levels up through the season. He s a strong believer in liquid fertiliser. There s less waste, in terms of bags, and it s delivered on farm when you need it you can t knock the service. It s also the only way to get that late application of N on when an OSR crop gets to flowering, there s still a long way to go to harvest. Post flowering, Jim Beeden aims to balance sclerotinia control with the physiological effects of the fungicides available. I use the sclerotinia monitoring service on BASF s Agricentre website to gauge the risk of infection and decide when to spray. If we can get away with one application, we ll use Filan (boscalid) at mid flowering. If we re going twice, we generally put azoxystrobin on early, and then follow up with Filan. We ll sometimes go with prothioconazole plus tebuconazole if the pressure s lower. But I do think it s worth using either a strobilurin or an SDHI for the greening effect it does appear to give Jim Beeden gauges sclerotinia risk through the monitoring service, but reckons a fungicide with a greening effect is worth the investment. a yield uplift. I ll be watching with interest how Pictor (boscalid+ dimoxystrobin) performs in the 3x3 trials. It s got to stack up financially, but that may be an option for the future, he says. At harvest, he lets the crop decide when to desiccate and then aims to harvest three weeks later. We don t need Podstik on varieties with pod-shatter resistance. I wouldn t say that s a prime reason we choose Dekalb varieties, but it is a reassurance when harvest comes round. Last year, yields averaged 4.2t/ha and he readily admits the financial performance of the crop, when set against the cost invested, isn t remarkable, even after taking the 25/t HOLL premium into account. Rapeseed prices may improve, and cereals may fall in value. But regardless, OSR will remain in the rotation because it will always have value as a management tool. Farm Facts Flagleaf Farming, Welton, nr Lincoln Area farmed: 2600ha Staff: Six full time plus Jim Beeden and operations manager, James Thornalley Soil types: Majority fairly stony limestone brash to heavy clays with one area of light sandy land 2016 Cropping: winter wheat (812ha firstwheat, 65ha second wheat, 21ha continuous wheat); winter oilseed rape (430ha: DK Explicit, DK Extrovert, V316OL); spring barley (318ha); linseed (286ha); miscanthus (125ha); spring wheat (102ha); sugar beet (101ha); maize for AD (50ha); winter barley (32ha); 400ha in Entry-Level Stewardship Mainline tractors: Challenger 865, Quadtrac 535, Fendt 939, Case IH Puma 230 CVX, 2x John Deere 6830 Combine: Claas 780 with 13.7m header; Claas 770 with 10.7m header Sprayers: Agrifac and Sands Vision self-propelled, both with 36m boom and 4000-litre tank Drill: 2x 6m Väderstad Rapid Cultivation: 4.5m Kverneland CTS with Opico seeder; 3.5m Challenger Agri with Stocks seeder; 4.5m Simba SLD;2x Kverneland 7f plough; 10m Cultipress; 12.4m Cousins rolls cpm magazine oilseed focus 15

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