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Know How / Oilseed rape / Crop management

Once it’s up and away, oilseed rape needs careful management and the right nutrition throughout the growing season to ensure it fulfills its potential. See what can be done to maximise output, put a lid on growing costs and keep the crop photosynthesising as it reaches maturity and fills its seeds.

Case studies

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OILSEED RAPE

Drilling regime and companion crop achieve high OSR yields

Farm manager David Northway’s oilseed rape harvest hit a top yield of 5t/ha in the summer, his highest for nearly 50 years. This was achieved on the farm between Fordingbridge…

OILSEED RAPE

How YEN prize winners have achieved impressive OSR yields

UK oilseed rape yields averaged 3t/ha in harvest 2023, but the prize-winning OSR growers at this year’s Yield Enhancement Network Awards achieved more than double this yield from standard farm…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How a regen farm is reducing inputs to meet SFI targets

The drive to reduce the use of artificial inputs is under way at Raby Farms in County Durham, with the business recognising the economic and environmental benefits of being less…

ARABLE

Grower moves to direct-drilled OSR and companion crops

Dorset grower Andrew Fry is growing oilseed rape for the first time and is hoping for a good yield from his new break crop. There is also £100/ha of government…

ARABLE

Grower improves fungicide use and compaction with helicopter

A helicopter is not the standard piece of farm kit to be stored in a machinery shed, but Canadian grain producer Wade McAllister plans to combine his passion for farming…

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Grower's soils improve and inputs reduce with regen approach

Hampshire grower David Miller has seen the organic matter of his chalky light soils rise by nearly 1% over the past four years by the use of cover crops and…

Practical advice

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PEST MANAGEMENT

How to spot stem weevil in oilseed rape and manage it

Oilseed rape growers are urged to watch out for signs of rape winter stem weevil, following reports of the pest appearing in crops in eastern counties. Despite having potential to…

ARABLE

How to plan crop and soil management after a washout season

Soils, rotations and cashflows were all impacted by the 2023-24 growing season washout, meaning there are important decisions to be made ahead of the new cropping year. The smallest wheat…

OILSEED RAPE

Cereals 2024: Why September drilled OSR can boost yield

Drilling oilseed rape from the second week of September rather than the typical August sowing window could be a strategic move for growers to boost yield potential. Latest research from…

PEST MANAGEMENT

How to introduce SFI 2023's no insecticide option

After another delay, applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2023 are due to finally open in mid-September, with the new no use of insecticide action being one of the…

OILSEED RAPE

Study shows growers can cut oilseed rape pest damage

Agro-ecological and genetic solutions are being examined to overcome pest problems in oilseed rape. Rothamsted Research is doing work on increasing populations of natural enemies as part of a Europe-wide…

ARABLE

How grower adds flexibility with disease-tolerant OSR

Changing weather patterns and the opportunity to reduce fungicide spray inputs were behind Lincolnshire grower Nick Wright’s decision to grow the sclerotinia-tolerant winter oilseed rape variety PT303. Having once experienced…

Insights

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OILSEED RAPE

Flea beetle and herbicide benefits of OSR and companion crops

Trials investigating the role of oilseed rape companion crops to deter cabbage stem flea beetle and minimise herbicide losses have revealed benefits of using berseem clover and buckwheat. The trials…

DRILLING

Which IPM options are best to manage CSFB?

With no single chemical or cultural approach that reliably manages cabbage stem flea beetle numbers, control requires a combination of techniques to suppress populations of the pest. But with dozens…

OILSEED RAPE

Should growers persevere with OSR despite challenges?

The AHDB has estimated a near 30% drop in the UK oilseed rape area compared to 2023, making it the UK’s smallest crop for 40 years – at 280,000ha. With…

PEST MANAGEMENT

How harvest cultivations can help beat flea beetle in OSR

Shallow cultivations carried out shortly after the combine can help reduce adult flea beetle populations, but more research is needed to refine advice to growers. Speaking at a recent Limagrain…

OTHER CROPS

How to get the best out of IPM3 companion cropping in SFI

Companion cropping is perhaps one of the easier options to include in Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements, particularly if you’re growing oilseed rape or perhaps maize, or for an end…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How climate change may increase pest and disease threats

The changing climate is already bringing new challenges, and 2022 served as a prime example, with sugar beet crops hit by a moth while oilseed rape crops in the east…

ESTABLISHMENT

Why early OSR drilling may reduce yields by up to 1.5t/ha

The trend for milder winters across north-west Europe may mean UK oilseed rape growers need to consider drilling later to maximise rapeseed yields. A major breeder is investigating whether late…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why increasing diversity in arable fields is key to IPM

Introducing greater diversity in arable fields is an important part of integrated strategies for disease and pest control, buying crucial time for slower acting biological solutions. Canadian soil specialist Joel…

ARABLE

Why caution is needed with late-applied herbicides

Growers planning to apply a pre- or post-emergence herbicide to late-sown crops need to be aware of the potential risks to crop safety and efficacy where conditions are suboptimal, warns…

VARIETY SELECTION

Why OSR vigour and late disease score is key to 2023 yields

Oilseed rape varieties with good early vigour and resistance to late season disease have been the top performers in Agrii’s variety plots in Lincolnshire. Like many areas of the UK,…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Survey gives pointers on how to successfully grow OSR

An average 85% of oilseed rape crops are predicted to reach harvest, but some farmers, especially in East Anglia, are feeling the pain. Although the average is down on last…

OILSEED RAPE

How OSR variety choice helps crops survive flea beetle

Simply selecting the top yielding OSR varieties on the AHDB Recommended List is not always the best approach in high cabbage stem flea beetle areas, according to Agrii trials and…

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