The recommended list of winter oilseed rape varieties for planting in 2016 has just been published. The harvest results from the 2016 crop are not included, as has been the case in recent years. The list is based on data from 2013 to 2015 inclusive.

The list contains no new recommended varieties but it contains some new information, specifically on early vigour and Light Leaf Spot resistance. The recommended list also contains a table of all the varieties trialled in 2015, which is useful in terms of knowing what has been tested.

While there are only three varieties recommended, up to 23 varieties are evaluated anually. The low success level indicates how difficult it is to find new varieties deemed suitable for growing in Ireland.

Unlike most other crops, in the case of oilseed rape it is estimated that only a little over a quarter of the area was sown to recommended varieties in autumn 2015. So most varieties have not been evaluated and we can see from the testing system how difficult it is for a variety to get recommendation. The Department’s trialling programme aims to identify varieties that perform best under Irish conditions.

Variety testing procedure

As with all recommended lists produced by the Department of Agriculture, all varieties are evaluated across a number of different geographical sites over a three-year period. The winter oilseed rape trials were located in Cork, Kilkenny, Kildare and Meath. The information provided for yield, oil, glucosinolate and agronomic data are based on average trial results from plots harvested from 2013 to 2015. Up to 23 varieties can be tested annually and the 18 tested in 2015 are shown in Appendix 1. In the recommended list trials, conventional varieties are sown at the equivalent of 85 seeds per square metre, while hybrid varieties are sown at 55 seeds/m2.

The three recommended varieties are Compass, Flash and Sensation, the latter being the most recent addition, and all are hybrids. Details of the individual varieties are shown in Table 1. All varieties are fully recommended.

Variety notes

  • Compass: Good seed yielding variety. Early vigour is medium. A tall variety with very good lodging resistance and very stiff stems. Medium earliness of flowering with a medium maturity rating. It has very high oil content. Bred by DSV in Germany, it is handled here by Seed Technology Ltd.
  • Flash: It has the highest seed yield on the recommended list. Early vigour is below average. A tall variety with moderate resistance to lodging and moderately stiff stems. Medium earliness of flowering and medium maturity rating. It has good oil content. It is also bred by DSV in Germany and handled by Seed Technology.
  • Sensation: Good seed yielding variety. Early vigour is medium. It has moderate lodging resistance and good stem stiffness. Medium-early to flower with a medium maturity rating. It has good oil content. It is slightly earlier maturing than the others but is regarded as having lower resistance to light leaf-spot. It was bred by RAGT2n in France and is handled by Goldcrop.

    • There are a number of varieties that are in these trials for at least three years and are up for recommendation next year. One of these is Anastasia. It is bred by Limagrain and is a conventional variety, which is being marketed by Seed Technology.

    Reports suggest that it has been doing well in trials with very high yields. It is said to have good standing ability and early vigour levels, which are comparable with the hybrids.

  • This list is for winter planting of oilseed rape 2016.
  • Results do not include variety performance in 2016.
  • The same three varieties are recommended as last year.
  • Data for light leaf-spot and early vigour have been added for the first time.