ProCam has announced the commercial launch of a new maize variety in the ‘very early’ maturity sector.

Bred by Limagrain and suitable for forage, AD or crimped maize production, Sunset, which was grown in the UK in limited quantities in 2025, is now available exclusively via ProCam on a wide-scale commercial basis.

“We earmarked Sunset as a promising ‘very early’ candidate three years ago,” explains Hayley Wellings, Technical Seed Specialist for ProCam in the UK. “Since then, we’ve put it through a rigorous internal screening process at multiple UK locations to test its yield potential and agronomic capabilities, and to ensure it delivers a level of performance consistency that our customers can rely on.”

With an FAO rating of 160-170, a starch yield of 6.62 t/ha and an energy density of 11.57 MJ/kg DM, Sunset produces a very early maturing crop with superb feed value. “This makes it the ideal choice for livestock farmers who are growing maize for forage or for crimping, and who want a crop that can be harvested early in the season,” Hayley adds.

“And with strong agronomic attributes, including ratings of 7.0 for standing power and early vigour, Sunset can be grown in a wide range of geographical locations including in the west where wet and windy weather can put weaker varieties at risk of lodging. It was grown in limited quantities in the UK in 2025, with those growers who tested it alongside their current first choice varieties achieving some excellent crop yields despite the year’s tricky growing conditions.”

As well as a good forage and crimped maize option, Sunset is also an ideal choice for AD growers who are looking to spread the maturity of the varieties they are growing, but it is not suitable for the petfood grain market due to its anthocyanin content.

“Sunset performs particularly well on fertile land with a high organic matter content and the ability to retain moisture,” Hayley adds. “It has consistently performed well in trials, including in 2024 when it produced high yields of energy-rich material despite that summer’s cloudy conditions. It also produced excellent yields in 2025 thanks to its tall plant height and dense growth habit which allowed it to intercept plenty of the summer’s abundant sunshine.”

In addition to being grown by a small number of farmers in 2025, Sunset was also tested at 14 ProCam demonstration sites: “This included two fully replicated trials where the dry and hot weather really pushed varieties to their limits,” Hayley concludes. “Thanks to its excellent early vigour, Sunset was able to get up and established quicker than its less vigorous counterparts. As a result, Sunset had grown further through its growth stages before the lack of rainfall became a limiting factor, and as such produced some impressive yield and energy results, outshining many other varieties with a similar maturity classification.

“With a larger, but limited volume of seed available for the 2026 season, we’re excited to be able to offer Sunset to a much wider customer base, and we’re confident it’ll prove popular especially as we’ve already received a large volume of enquiries from growers who are keen to grow Sunset alongside other very early stalwarts such as Jardinero, Duke and Rodriguez.”

Data taken from BSPB/NIAB NL/DL Trials

*Breeder/Field Options estimate