Arable

New variety Gauguin drilled in Norfolk on the 23rd March.

New beet varieties feature high yields and low bolting The five new varieties added to the 2019 Recommended (RL) and to the Descriptive (DL) List reflect the continued improvement in yield and other characteristics, such as bolting, said the BBRO when it announced the new List in early May. Five new varieties have been added to the RL and DL; BTS 1140 from Limagrain UK Ltd, Kortessa KWS from KWS UK, Jura from SESVanderHave UK and Gauguin from Strube UK to the RL, and Philina KWS to the DL. “Although 2017 trials were affected by the dry cold conditions at the start of the season, the control varieties in the trials still managed to achieve a mean yield of 114 adjusted tonnes per hectare with new varieties offering up to a 7.6 per cent yield increase above that,” commented RL Board chairman, Mike May. “In addition it is also good to see some of the new varieties with very low bolting, an important requirement for many UK sugar beet growers.” Two of the new RL varieties, Jura and Gauguin are BCN tolerant. With the high yields that breeders have managed to breed into these varieties,

these are not restricted to the DL list, as was the case prior to the 2018 RL, and are therefore recommended for general use. Philina KWS was added to the DL for use specifically where AYPR has been identified in a field and provides a superior yield to the variety it replaces. The yield results on the DL, and for BCN varieties, are in the absence of these problems. “Before ordering BCN or AYPR tolerant varieties, growers should discuss options with the BBRO and breeders who will have more information on their performance in the presence of the problem,” advises Mr May.

crop. This comes hand-in-hand with excellent sugar content and favourable on-farm agronomics such as low bolting figures at normal sowing date and very good disease resistance. Bred by Betaseed, and marketed by agents Limagrain UK, the 2019 BBRO Recommended List clearly shows that the yield potential of BTS 1140 is significantly above the

most widely grown varieties in 2018, yielding 107.6 per cent (adjusted tonnes), over three years of trials. BTS 1140 also has a high sugar content of 18 per cent. This significant 2–3 per cent increase in yields seen each year in newly recommended sugar beet varieties on the RL is very exciting for the UK’s sugar beet growers, says Limagrain sugar beet consultant, Bram Van der Have (right). “This year the newly recommended varieties offer a 7.6 per cent increase over the control varieties,” he adds. “We are in the fortunate position where breeders are still able to push yields without compromising the sugar content – and this is at a time when many other arable crop yields have plateaued.” However, the value and importance of on-farm characteristics of sugar beet to UK growers is also reflected in this recommendation, he says. continued over...

Yield potential Newly recommended sugar beet variety BTS 1140 reflects the increasing yield potential of the

Newly recommended sugar beet variety BTS 1140 reflects the increasing yield potential of the crop.

10 www.farmersguide.co.uk June 2018

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18/05/2018 12:03