Pod shatter is the immediate improvement that comes to mind, but oilseed rape is a crop that has had so much more added through breeding in recent times.
Clearfield varieties can now help to control brassica weeds.
Turnip Yellows Virus (TuYV) resistance is another important improvement, as well as phoma resistance and N-flex, which can help to increase nitrogen use efficiency.
There are plenty of varieties to choose from and often the oilseed rape recommended list from the Department can be a bit behind as crops are planted soon after they are cut, so the list is a year behind.
Varieties
LG Ambassador is the biggest variety in Europe and has good resistance to light leaf spot and phoma.
Aurelia is the big variety from Seedtech, while Drummonds hosts the Pioneer varieties, and the Dekalb varieties are available through Goldcrop and Bayer.
Dekalb varieties all claim vigorous establishment, so might be good in a late sowing slot.
DK Exposé and DK Expansion have pod shatter resistance, a good disease resistance profile and DK Exposé has TuYV resistance.
If brassica weeds are a problem then a Clearfield variety is a good option.
