THE region’s oilseed growers must do all they can to get rape crops in and out of the ground as quickly as possible this autumn.

Many were forced into late drilling or abandoning crops last year following the wet summer and autumn, which led to patchy crops and poor pod set.

Philip Dean of Openfield said there was little alternative for many, but lessons could be learnt for the next crop.

“That includes focusing on the seedbed, adopting the most vigorous varieties and new seed treatment technology,”

he told a joint Openfield/ UAP Project Energise open day at Hutton Wandesley, near York.

Mr Dean said hybrid varieties offer growers the chance to improve establishment.

Many switched to them in mid-September when the weather worsened, but it was unrealistic to expect them to make up for a month’s delay in drilling. “In addition, some hybrids are better than others in providing fast early growth in the autumn,” he said.

“I’d be looking to grow Excalibur, or the newcomer Dimension, which has looked exceptional in trials.”

For earlier drillings, or if open pollinators were favoured, he said DK Cabernet, Catana and Castille were good. However, they need to be backed by a decent seed treatment and good seed bed.

The seed bed could involve min-till if the structure is already good, but a deeper cultivation may be needed this year to undo last autumn’s damage.

Mr Dean said: “Finally, if you really want to get the crop out of the ground and away in good time, don’t underestimate the importance of seedbed nitrogen - maybe combined with P&K if indices suggest a need to maximise rooting and early growth.”

Lee Bennett, Openfield’s arable technical manager, said it was a good year to examine differences in trials.

“Don’t write a hybrid off just because it is not coping from a late drilling,” he said, “Side by side, alongside conventional rapes, drilled in a reasonable time, hybrids are looking exceptionally good, filling in gaps where emergence has been poor.

“I’ve seen hybrids yield 4t/ha from as little as seven plants per square metre. The secret is to get them to jump out of the ground and retain as much leaf material as possible.

Any dead leaf on the floor is a lost pod in the summer, so it is important to ensure nutrition supports what emerges.”

That includes getting the P&K right – putting the nutrient on at drilling had shown clear benefits in terms of crop establishment.

Mr Bennett suggested Dimension was good for anyone looking a new variety.

“It offers exceptionally good early vigour and is stiffer, shorter and earlier to flower and harvest than its competition,”

he said.

GrowHow’s Dave Towse suggested that 30kg/ha of nitrogen – applied as NPK – either in the seedbed or as part of a tines one pass establishment approach – could lift yields by 0.5t/ha.

He said: “We’re not suggesting you use more N across the crop, but simply calculate what is required for yield and time it better to coincide with crop need, starting with giving it a kick-start in the autumn.

The best approach is to feed the developing crop on a little and often basis.”