Oilseed Rape | Thriving in Ireland

,

This Blog Post was taken from the latest issue of Crop Protection Magazine, where Goldcrop’s John Dunne was interviewed. Read the article in full here.

OSR hasn’t always been the break crop of choice in Ireland, but it’s gained popularity as a replacement for sugar beet since 2006, says John Dunne farmer and variety manager for seed-supplier, Goldcrop.

“Growers quickly realised how good a break crop it is and subsequently the OSR acreage has increased and is expected to be 19,000ha this year,” he explains.

One reason for the increasing area has been better yields, says John. “We’ve seen a 30% increase over the past six years. Whereas growers would previously have achieved 4-4.5t/ha, they’re now regularly getting 5-5.5t/ha – so it’s a big increase.”

But getting the crop sown in time can be a challenge, he says. “Planting OSR behind winter barley is fine, but trying to get it in after winter wheat or spring barley can be tricky. In 2006, growers started out with conventional varieties but they’ve moved towards hybrids over time. We have to be careful that varieties aren’t too vigorous, but we’d rather be looking at the crop than looking for it.”

Having traits such as TuYV resistance in varieties is really important to Irish farmers because the climate is quite mild and the disease can take up to a third of OSR yield, according to John. “When we get a frost, it’s a notable topic of conversation here. And because it’s so mild, we’ve had issues with barley yellow dwarf virus, and this made me wonder if TuYV was also nipping at OSR yields.”

Working with Limagrain, Goldcrop took samples of varieties without TuYV resistance and found the virus to be consistently showing up. “Once you get your eye in for identifying the virus symptoms, you’ll see a reddening of leaves at the edges of the field and along tramlines. Last year we saw headline varieties without resistance falter in our official trials, whereas resistant varieties took this risk out of the equation.”

According to John, Irish growers have also had more trouble with LLS than with phoma and so really value highly resistant varieties. “LLS has always been the tougher beast, to my mind, and in some years the circumstances play into it with higher pressures, especially when there are nearby OSR stubbles. As the disease cycles so frequently and repeatedly, it can be hard to control and is the most damaging disease we have, so having genetic resistance is a huge help.”

He also feels that pod shatter resistance has to be standard in all varieties. “Our climate is tricky, so to have something that won’t shed is a big safety net. I can’t really believe that varieties still come to market without it.”

Irish farmers have become very fond of growing OSR, adds John. “It’s an essential part of the rotation for many, so having stacked traits to secure its future place here is important.”

Article by John Dunne, Goldcrop Ltd. 

Gorilla Hybrid Fodder Rape

 

Fodder Rape is a popular forage crop with many livestock farmers due to its ease of production, the flexibility of its sowing date and its palatability at feeding time.

It can produce a large bulk of fodder in a short period.

Gorilla when sown in May can produce a first crop in August to cover a shortage of summer grass, then has good regrowth to achieve a second crop in November/December. Alternatively, GORILLA can be strip grazed as required, with good regrowth potential.
Gorilla is a hybrid variety with potential for high yields and very good regrowth, it is a darker green leafy type with medium hight and good standing ability, it has a higher than average dry matter content leading to good intakes and due to its leaf to stem ratio also has a high energy content.

Gorilla can be sown from May to early September in the south of the country and from May to mid-August in northern counties. It is very important to produce a fine firm seed bed in good conditions and when using a broadcasting method, sowing rates should be at 9-11kgs/ha or 3.6 to 4.5kgs per acre if a direct drilling method is used seeding rates should be at 6kgs/ha or 2.8kgs per acre.

Ideally a soil test will be available to help guide lime & fertiliser requirements, soil PH should be between 6.0 & 7.0 NPK will depend on soil index and will typically need N, 90-125kg/ha (72 – 100 units/acre) P, 20 – 30 kgs/ha (16 – 24 units per acre) & K, 50 – 60 kgs/ha (40 – 48 units/acre) usually 4 X 50kgs of 18-6-12 per acre.

The crop establishes quickly and normally there is no need for weed control, it should be monitored regularly for pest such as Flea Beetles, Slugs, leatherjackets, and pigeons.

Rape is extremely useful as a feed for fattening lambs and lactating ewes and very good performance can be achieved with good grazing conditions. It is also widely used to supplement cattle and cows, but care is needed as there is a much greater risk of digestive disorders than with sheep. These problems can be prevented by taking the following precautions: Introduce Rape gradually, restrict intakes, always feed hay or silage as a roughage source. Supplement with phosphorus and iodine. Ensure all diets are properly balanced.