New varieties with stronger genetic traits are key to successful high yielding crops says James Warner of United Oilseeds

A predicted 30 percent rise in the UK’s oilseed rape area for 2026 supported by mainly excellent establishment conditions last autumn (including positive reports of less pigeon grazing and lower cabbage stem flea beetle pressure) in many key arable regions, should offer rape growers and the wider OSR Industry greater confidence as spring approaches says James Warner, Managing Director of United Oilseeds.

   Since launching the OSR Reboot Campaign in July 2024 Mr Warner believes the crop has successfully turned a corner after dropping to an area of just 240,000ha last year, its lowest since 1983.

   He says” Addressing the rapid decline in area since the neonics ban in 2018 was an immediate necessity, given the UK’s future need for increased food security and to protect the UK jobs and infrastructure we have in place to produce home-grown rape seed oil. Whilst we can’t ultimately control policy decisions, we will continue to argue our case as strongly as possible and policy change is still one of three key pillars which make up the Reboot Campaign.

   “Focusing on the other two : breeding research and improving crop agronomy, I think we’ve made great strides in both areas with crop genetics advancing rapidly and breeders responding brilliantly to the challenges ahead with new varieties offering improved genetic traits to support and defend rape crops against key pests and diseases.

   “Improving crop agronomy, with more focus on flexible drilling dates, soil moisture levels, companion cropping and, particularly, post-harvest cultivations to cultivate the soil straight after lifting the rape crop in order to disrupt the life cycle of cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) in the soil, are all key ways to ensure we help growers regain confidence, achieve higher yields and keep oilseed rape in their rotations” he concludes.

   Marc Lanham, Northern Seed Manager with Agrovista UK, also supports the view that oilseed rape is beginning to regain trust with growers following several turbulent years of poor weather, challenging establishment conditions and high CSFB pressure.

   Marc adds” When grown successfully, oilseed rape is still one of , if not the highest, gross margin break crops and is still a vitally important rotational crop for UK farmers. Things have definitely improved in the last 2 years, linked largely to better establishment conditions, kinder weather, adoption of flexible drilling strategies as well as more focus from both growers and agronomists on varietal selection .

  “On varieties specifically, although the market has swung towards use of hybrids over conventionals in recent years, it’s important to remember that additional resistant genes found in many new hybrid varieties such as RLM7 , LepR1 and RLMS come at a price, and, when growers are dealing with a heavily front loaded crop in terms of cost, I believe there’s a strong case for combining both hybrids and conventionals in rotations as part of a risk mitigation strategy.

   In my experience, the best performing conventionals can still compete with hybrids in key areas including early vigour and yield. Their ability to be sown at higher seed rates, up to 100 seeds/m² , should also be an important consideration, particularly when establishment conditions favour a higher seed rate option.

  “Of the new conventional varieties currently in NL trials, Nightingale, from breeder Elsoms Seeds, has displayed a robust agronomic package with very good lodging resistance, stem stiffness, excellent disease resistance and a very high oil content. Now in its last year of trials, it’s currently the highest yielding conventional variety in the North and looks to have a strong future ahead” he confirms.

  Beckii Gibbs, Seed Manager at United Oilseeds, also recognises the importance of growing high-performing conventionals alongside hybrids as a way of spreading risk when deciding which varieties to drill.

  She adds” Having assessed the new conventionals currently in their final year of trials, I see Ocean, from breeder Elsoms Seeds, as a replacement for older varieties such as Annika . It has the all-important Turnip Yellows Virus (TuYV) resistance gene, has consistently achieved high yields across several trials and should fill a key gap in our current portfolio once its approved by the RL later this year”.

  Her comments on spreading varietal risk as part of a larger de-risking strategy are echoed by Kurtis Scarboro, Crop Manager for leading independent breeder Elsoms Seeds.

  Kurtis says” Oilseed rape is still a fantastic crop and, despite being frontloaded on input costs, there are a number of ways that growers can successfully manage the risks involved at that critical early development stage.

  “Avoiding drilling around the dates of peak flea beetle migration is a must, and, if there’s not adequate moisture in the soil then the best advice has to be ‘don’t drill’.

  “However, if soil moisture levels are right and CSFB pressure is low then growers must have a positive approach and commit fully to early herbicide and nitrogen inputs giving the crop the best chance possible to establish well.

  “For rape growers seeking a balance between hybrid and conventional varieties, or for those who simply favour growing conventional varieties, Ocean and Nightingale are bred specifically for UK growing conditions and offer high disease resistance packages, high oil content plus up to date conventional genetics. Both have already excelled in trials and represent a clear upgrade on the conventional varieties currently on the RL” he concludes.