Anastasia oilseed rape has had another tremendous performance this year, not only topping the northern HGCA recommended list yield table with an average gross output of 117 per cent of the control varieties, but also out-performing many varieties as far south as Cambridge and Hampshire.
In the northern HGCA RL trials, Anastasia yielded 112 per cent over control varieties in Edinburgh, 116 per cent at St Boswell in the borders and 124 per cent at Culross; this is well above competitor varieties such as Incentive at 112 per cent.
“These provisional results show that Anastasia has been the highest and most consistent performing variety on the northern list over several seasons, achieving a gross output of 110 per cent of the control varieties, ahead of Incentive 109 per cent and Boheme 107 per cent,” Limagrain UK oilseed rape breeder Jo Bowman said.
“The variety has also done extremely well in NIAB TAG’s southern trials coming top equal across our sites in terms of yield, offering moderately high oil content,” Simon Kightley of NIAB TAG added. “At our sites in Hampshire, Hereford, Cambridge and Bainton it was the highest yielding variety at 113 per cent; in fact at the most southerly site in Hampshire it was the highest yielding variety by as much as five per cent.”
“Some of our southern growers have been trialling Anastasia for themselves on farm this year, and are so pleased with its performance they will be drilling the variety again on larger hectarages this year.”
Dr Bowman said this demonstrated a real consistency in performance of the variety across a range of sites and very different seasons, showing once again the reliability of the variety.
“This is a significant and important characteristic on farm,” he added. “The excellent performance of Anastasia beyond the stated boundaries of the Northern list is most likely due to the variety’s good resistance to light leaf spot, (6, the same as Compass, and Excalibur), which has been more widespread further south this year.”
“Its phoma rating of 5 is in line with many popular east west recommended varieties – another reason for its excellent performance further south.”
Anastasia is the shortest non-semi dwarf on the list with very stiff stems and very good resistance to lodging.
“It is easy to manage and harvest,” Dr Bowman said. “The variety is medium-early to flower and mature, spreading risk at farm level.
“Anastasia also has a rapid autumn development, and this autumn with concerns around flea beetle attack in the absence of neonic seed treatments and early drilling, this an important characteristic as if the crop can get up and out of the ground quickly this reduces the impact of flea beetle attack. “
Limagrain has Anastasia seed available for this autumn. For more information visit: www.limagrain.co.uk.
