NIAB trials highlight new all-round hybrid strengths

Replicated NIAB trials at Callow in Herefordshire and Sutton Scotney in Hampshire are clearly demonstrating the performance and key agronomic advantages of new mainstream hybrid, DK Exbury and clubroot resistant, DK Pledge in particular.

Both hybrids yielded on a par with the top selling UK variety, were up there with the three leading TuYV resistant varieties and performed ahead of the long-standing conventional market leader at Callow to deliver yields of 106% and 108% of the trial’s 26 variety average.

At the same time, DK Exbury showed itself to alongside the very best in standing power across the two sites and DK Pledge stood out for the least seed shedding of all in the Sutton Scotney assessments.

“It's really good to see our latest hybrids showing their strengths in a season which has been markedly more challenging than many for the crop,” says Bayer seed campaign manager, Grace Hayward.

“Resistant to Plasmodiophora brassicae pathotypes P1 and P3, DK Pledge yielded within a whisker of 10% ahead of the top performing clubroot variety on the Recommended List at Callow. And the difference in seed shedding in the run-up to harvest at Sutton Scotney was like chalk and cheese.

“This is especially encouraging alongside the noticeable performance and seed shedding advantages this really promising clubroot variety has shown over the current sector leader in our own field-scale strip trials under a strictly commercial farm regime.

“Looking equally promising, DK Exbury is cementing its claim as the natural successor to our established strongman, DK Exstar in the mainstream ‘double low’ sector, delivering a good 10% more yield at Callow.

“We look forward to reporting the full Sutton Scotney harvest results for both these varieties as soon as they come in.”