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Following the announcement by WRAG of the first case of glyphosate in the UK, Bayer has compiled a list of frequently asked questions about resistance and stewardship of glyphosate.

Significantly reduced cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) pressure and high average crop establishment scores are among a range of positive findings from the latest Bayer DEKALB oilseed rape benchmarking survey.

Latest benchmarking survey results highlight grounds for OSR optimism

Keen to retain oilseed rape in the rotation, Shropshire farmer Rob Morgan has developed an agronomy plan to build resilience in his soil and crops following the identification of clubroot on his farm.

OSR variety choice underpins IPM approach to clubroot risk management

Spring establishment assessments from this season’s Bayer nationwide field-scale farm strip trials point to the potential for higher oilseed rape yields this harvest.

Improved prospects for harvest 2025 as OSR makes a strong start

Close to dropping OSR following two years of heavy crop losses as a result of CSFB damage, Lincs farming brothers Charles and Philip Roberts have looked to an establishment scheme to take some of the risk out of growing the crop.

Establishment scheme tips the scales as OSR hangs in the balance

Last autumn’s variable weather across the UK is to have a significant impact on crop establishment and over-winter survival. Read our top tips for OSR management this spring. 

Top tips for a successful OSR spring restart 

Planting oilseed rape on into September is very much an option this season - providing conditions remain favourable. 

How to make the most of a September oilseed rape drilling window

The particular resilience of the latest Dekalb hybrid, DK Excentric has become crystal clear

National Proving Programme Highlights Key Variety Resilience

cabbage-stem-flea-beetle-damage-on-osr-at-2-leaf-stage-1600

Cabbage stem flea beetle pressure has a much greater impact on OSR success than  soil moisture conditions at sowing.

Long-term grower study highlights impact of CSFB on OSR success

DK Exstar Underlines its Consistency in the Field 

High resilience hybrid, DK Excentric is showing its strength with a yield-topping performance

High Resilience Hybrid Shows its Strength in National Farm Trials

DK Excentric has shown itself to be one of the least verticillium susceptible of today’s varieties 

DK Excentric confirms its particular verticillium strength

Hybrid varieties have stood out as noticeably more resilient in five years of national crop benchmarking with 900 growers across the country responsible for over 93,000ha of winter oilseed rape

Five years of OSR grower benchmarking confirms hybrid value

Early September is David Northway’s sweet spot for drilling OSR at Breamore Estate on the eastern edge of Cranbourne Chase near Fordingbridge in Hampshire. 

September sowing central to successful Hampshire OSR recipe

As trials manager for Agrovista, David Blance is all too familiar with the threat cabbage stem flea beetle.

Monitoring with MagicTrap to inform OSR drilling decisions

Getting oilseed rape up and away as quickly as possible is the aim of one Yorkshire grower for whom challenging conditions are the norm.

Planning for a flying start in North Yorkshire

Oilseed rape growers across the country have found 10 particular management techniques of the greatest value in minimising their crop-growing risks in recent years, according to the Dekalb national OSR benchmarking study run each spring since 2019/20.

Top Grower Techniques for Minimising OSR Risks

Despite pressures from flea beetle, slugs, game birds and the wettest winter on record, all but a very few of the 100 hectares of  DK Exsteel planted at Eastbury Estates are going through to harvest.

Establishment recipe maintains OSR’s key rotational role

An innovative new digital decision support tool enabling growers to remotely monitor the migration and distribution of key oilseed rape pests will be launched by Bayer at this year’s Cereals Event.

Cereals launch for 'Magic' pest monitoring tool

The ability to perform consistently under the toughest conditions is a standout feature of the latest high-reliability Dekalb hybrid oilseed rape to be launched by Bayer at this Cereals 2024.

Top stress tolerant OSR to be launched at Cereals 2024

Latest findings from the Bayer field-scale farm strip trials indicate that a prolonged spell of wet but mild weather does not affect oilseed rape nearly as badly as when the weather is wet and cold.

OSR better able to tolerate wet feet in milder conditions 

A novel national OSR proving programme is providing vital information on hybrid varieties’ ability to withstand challenging growing conditions.

New National OSR Proving Programme Focuses on Resilience

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing our world, the way we live, work and perhaps even the way we think.

How artificial intelligence is paving the way to a sustainable farming future

Piece by piece, researchers are assembling a toolkit of approaches aimed at delivering an integrated pest management (IPM) solution for cabbage stem flea beetle control in oilseed rape. 

Tools to help tackle CSFB 

As daylight hours lengthen, it is time to start assessing oilseed rape crops’ potential for a strong spring restart.

3 things to consider at OSR restart

With oil contents in from all four of Agrii’s northern iFarm trials comparing at least eight current and up-and-coming varieties, DK Exsteel has matched one of the newest TuYV resistant hybrids

DK Exsteel stands out in Agrii northern iFarm variety trials

September-sown winter oilseed rape can be just as productive as earlier plantings.

Top Establishment Tips for Successful September Sowing

Richard Prankerd discusses some tricky agronomic issues in September

Five tips around drilling, BYDV and weed control for growers in the south

For the sixth year in a row DK Exsteel is confirming its pre-eminent consistency by performing well within the top 10 of the 40-plus varieties tested annually in Agrii’s industry leading national variety trials.

King of consistency adds to its reputation

Yields analysed from the bulk of the field-scale Dekalb grower trials now harvested across the country are underlining the clear relationship between hybrid performance and establishment success at a standard 50 seeds/m2 sowing rate.

Strip Trials Underline Overall Establishment Importance

DK Exbury and DK Immortal CL have joined the long list of Dekalb hybrids demonstrating a clear ability to resist Verticillium leaf strip in the latest annual ADAS trials on a Cambridge site

Latest hybrids show Verticillium strength

Dekalb hybrid has gone head-to-head with the top-performing clubroot variety on the Recommended List has shown a considerable yield advantage for the newcomer.

Raising the bar in clubroot resistance

Despite not being drilled until near the end of September and going into far from the best ground the business manages, it averaged fully 4.2t/ha.

Late-Drilled OSR Delivers in Dorset

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

NIAB trials highlight new all-round hybrid strengths

Dekalb’s extensive series of field-scale strip trials run with up to 15  growers across the country confirm that yields are noticeably back on last season.

Early farm trial results show solid hybrid performance in a challenging season

High reliability hybrid, DK Excited has underlined the value of its great management flexibility in Bayer’s OSR Innovation plot trials at Callow near Hereford this season.

Innovation plot trials underline high reliability hybrid value

New clubroot resistant hybrid, DK Pledge is echoing its performance in European trials by substantially outyielding the highest output clubroot variety on the 2023/24 Recommended List in its first UK farm trialling.

First UK Farm Trialling Confirms New Clubroot Variety Strength

Early August drilling needs to be undertaken with particular care if its benefits in reducing adult cabbage stem flea beetle grazing are not to be offset by subsequent management problems, insist leading industry specialists in a definitive grower guide

Take special care with early drilling

Oilseed rape provides an ideal opportunity to get soil into good  condition for a following first wheat. Crop Focus talks to a leading expert about how to make the most of the benefits.

Forward thinking on OSR establishment

Growers across the UK have everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose from taking advantage of ‘the best OSR establishment scheme in the business’.

Make the most of establishment assurance

Have you ever been disappointed by the performance of your  oilseed rape at harvest? Crops look great all season, but once the combine starts rolling, the yield monitor gives that sinking feeling.

Stem health drives OSR yield

At the end of another unpredictable season of volatile prices and impactful weather, reviewing what has, and has not, worked on farm, and planning changes for the coming season, continues to be an important summer activity.

Five priorities for the autumn agenda

Good soil management is the foundation of good crops of oilseed rape, but there are some basics on which Jonny Rutherford refuses to compromise.

Hybrid oilseed rape varieties just more reliable

Many winter OSR crops flowering up to two weeks later than normal this season makes it vital to hold-off on harvesting them for as long as possible to avoid knocking output badly, insists Bayer commercial technical manager, Tom Sowerby.

Holding-off on OSR harvesting crucial this season

A new system for automatically assessing cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) pressure under evaluation in the UK is showing great promise.

Digital CSFB Monitoring Shows Great IPM Promise

Plant breeding is evolving substantially to keep pace with the sheer pace of change in farming practices, the environment and growers needs these days, reveals a leading UK breeder.

Digital revolution allows designer breeding

The latest Bayer Crop Science study undertaken in late October/early November involved over 290 growers across the country planting more than 30,000ha of winter OSR for 2023

National Winter Oilseed Rape Establishment Poll

Unusual both for the area and enterprise, oilseed rape is proving valuable in more ways than one in the Laird family’s Peeblesshire dairy business.

Double OSR Benefits for Borders Dairy Business

With OSR yields across his north Lincolnshire coastal and Wolds farms up a good 20% on last season, award-winning grower, Mark Stubbs is well-pleased as he comes to the end of a trouble-free harvest.

Award-winning grower sees substantial improvements

DK Excited stands out as the top performing of the hybrid varieties James Price has been evaluating at scale alongside his main TuYV-resistant conventional OSR crop at Perdsiwell Farm, Woodstock on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Farm trialling helps hybrid choice in Oxfordshire

OSR drilling has really ramped-up across large parts of the country at the start of September as growers take as much advantage as they can of some timely rain with the return of a more Atlantic weather flow.

Drilling Ramps up with September Rain

Average ‘Ex’ hybrid seed yields ranging from 4.8t/ha to 5.1t/ha across the 14 large-scale strip trials run with growers from Hampshire to the Scottish borders this season underline the strength-in-depth of all the main Dekalb varieties.

Robust farm Oilseed Rape trialling demonstrates strength-in-depth

Companion cropping oilseed rape is just one part of a multi-pronged approach to beating cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) attacks during establishment for a grower in one of the original pest hotspots.

Companion advantage for oilseed rape

DEKALB growers across the country are reporting farm yields substantially higher than last season in a remarkably smooth harvest, confirming the improvements seen in both plot and large scale trials with high-reliability DK hybrids.

Oilseed Rape Nationwide Performance Gains

At Breamore Estate in Hampshire, manager David Northway has seen his oilseed rape performance improve still further from the welcome bounce back of 2021; and this, despite not drilling his crops until early September.

Hampshire OSR improves still further

There is much growers can do to reduce oilseed rape growing risks, from planning and management well before establishment, right through to harvest strategy.

Practical steps to de-risk oilseed rape

The first seven large scale farm strip trials to be harvested this season across southern and eastern England are confirming the strong performance promise of leading DEKALB hybrids in no uncertain terms.

Excellent early farm trial performance

Bone dry soils across much of the eastern and southern counties pose a huge dilemma for growers keen to sow OSR early in their battle against cabbage stem flea beetle.

Dry Autumn Dilemma

Ben Frost advises on oilseed rape and cover crop establishment, stubble management and root crop disease control for Midlands growers

Six agronomic tips for growers in the Midlands this August

The superior nitrogen stress tolerance of two of the latest high reliability Dekalb hybrids has been confirmed in the company’s most recent restricted-fertilisation trials.

New studies confirm superior OSR nitrogen stress tolerance

Winter oilseed rape margins look set to rival those of second wheats once again in 2023 even at decidedly modest yield levels, according to Andersons’ Loam Farm budgets for the coming season.

Winter OSR Margins Again Set to Rival Second Wheat in 2023

Robust hybrids have dealt with the past season’s more challenging winter OSR conditions better than other varieties, reveals Bayer’s latest annual Dekalb benchmarking with over 150 UK growers almost 20,000ha of 2022/23 plantings.

Key OSR growing advantages highlighted in benchmarking study

The encouraging number of growers deliberately avoiding the use of insecticides to support winter oilseed rape establishment do not seem to be suffering from doing so, according to the latest annual Dekalb benchmarking study from Bayer.

Growers Not Suffering from Avoiding Autumn Insecticide Spraying

Ten of the most widely-used techniques to reduce winter OSR risk are rated particularly highly for their effectiveness by growers in the latest annual Dekalb benchmarking study, providing a valuable focus for those looking to make the most of the coming...

Key OSR Risk Management Techniques Highlighted in Grower Study

Robust trialling of emerging new varieties at scale alongside current favourites and involvement in the ADAS YEN network are important parts of the extra layer of care going into McGregor Farms’

Extra Scottish Borders Care Delivers OSR Rewards and Awards

The highest rapeseed prices in living memory, British winter OSR plantings are set to grow by nearly 17% this autumn, reveals Bayer’s annual Dekalb benchmarking study.

Benchmark Grower Study Shows Major OSR Turnaround

Leading Aberdeenshire grower, Jim Reid finds late-drilled oilseed rape fits well into his seed potato and spring barley-based rotation, providing the canopy is set-up well enough to soak-up the mid-summer sun.

Late OSR drilling works a treat in Aberdeenshire

Bayer’s market-leading Dekalb Establishment Scheme has been extended to every variety in its OSR portfolio this autumn.

Double Dekalb OSR Assurance for 2022 Plantings

Bayer’s annual series of Dekalb benchmarking studies shows a further improvement in crop condition and performance expectations this season; identifies the key management techniques being employed to reduce overall OSR risk

The National Winter OSR Management Study - 2022

Using pod shatter resistance in oilseed rape to positively manage its harvesting could add as much to the crop’s bottom line as the best disease control this season.

Use pod shatter resistance to make the most of this season's OSR, growers advised

Outstanding tolerance to key environmental stresses as well as the ideal characteristics for early sowing and the flexibility to drill well into September

Latest hybrid sets new benchmark in OSR stress tolerance

Value-added High Oleic Low Linolenic (HOLL) oilseed rape has been a part of the Ross family’s north Norfolk arable rotation at Canister Hall Farm near Walsingham for the past 16 years.

Value-added Oilseed Rape gives extra flexibility in Norfolk

Most oilseed rape crops went into this winter noticeably better developed than they have done for the past three seasons, reveal comprehensive Dekalb strip trials grown under commercial conditions on farms across the country. However, some were too well...

National farm trials highlight OSR development differences

Spraying off oilseed ripe with Roundup aids harvest planning and management, controls weeds and sets things up for establishment of the next crop.

7 steps for effective harvest management of oilseed rape

Bringing together the latest intelligence from across the industry to help oilseed rape growers make the most of early August drilling is an authoritative 20-page guide.

Authoritative new early drilling guide published

Pioneering Agrovista trials in the early days of the neonicotinoid ban showed a reduction in flea beetle larval burdens from berseem clover as a companion plant.

Why companion cropping could help improve OSR establishment

While much of the focus of CSFB management is on early crop survival, minimising the damage from larvae is at least as important an imperative – both to ensure a profitable crop and to reduce future pest problems.

How OSR drilling date will influence cabbage stem flea beetle attack

Extensive Agrii research across the country over the past 11 years shows that, like black-grass, a jigsaw of cultural controls can really help beat the beetle. Find out more.

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