UK - Limagrain arable and forage crop plots demonstrate an integrated approach

On many arable farms today, alongside a need to choose arable crops that will deliver on farm in terms of both yield and quality, rotational and political pressures as well as sporting considerations have driven an increase in a whole range of forage, soil improvement, environmental and game cover crops.

Leading plant breeders Limagrain UK are a major player in all of these markets and for the first time at Cereals Arable Event 2017, Limagrain has combined both arable and forage crops to form an integrated stand, which includes crop plots on all of its leading arable varieties as well as crops for greening, EFA areas, nematode control and soil biofumigation.

Members of the Limagrain technical and breeding teams will be on hand for the two days of the event, to discuss how varieties for particular on-farm situations have the correct genetics behind them to protect yield and quality – be that to optimise OSR yields, grow a premium malting barley to spec, or look at the latest options for the new countryside stewardship scheme, featuring wild bird and pollinator habitat mixtures.

A unique ‘Genetics Hub’ will demonstrate how genetic characteristics introduced by breeders into various crops, provides security for on-farm performance, and where appropriate, final marketing opportunities.

The Limagrain OSR breeding programme has produced varieties with resistances to TuYV, clubroot and pod shatter. On display will be varieties such as Annalise; a high yielding daughter of Amalie that offers TuYV resistance with a very high oil content of 46.9%, Architect which is the first TuYV resistant hybrid that also offers traits such as pod shatter resistance, winter hardiness and excellent vigour, and Archimedes that offers the clubroot resistant trait, as well as RLM7 phoma and pod shatter resistance.

For wheat, genetic traits such as OWBM and eyespot used in combination with good disease resistance, play a similar role in protecting final yield potential. This can be seen in varieties such as LG Sundance which offers OWBM resistance together with the best septoria resistance available on AHDB RL (7.3), and Revelation which with its high eyespot resistance rating of 8@ allows for it to be grown in the second wheat or early drilling situation very successfully.

In malting barley, quality traits such as non-GN offer a crucial flexibility in marketing, and Limagrain was the first breeder to introduce this genetic trait into its varieties. Since then varieties such as Concerto, through to newcomer LG Opera, all contain this flexible marketing genetic trait and will be on display at Cereals.