New Hybrids Build Yield And Output

By selecting the best material from a number of co-operative partnerships, KWS UK is providing high gross output winter oilseed rapes for UK growers.

And, by tapping into a new hybrid breeding programme undertaken by its parent company in Germany, the UK arm of the business looks set to help re-establish hybrids as the number one variety type of choice.

KWS works across all countries in Europe – that’s the EU27, plus Serbia, Croatia and more recently, Russia and Ukraine.  And, according to Klaus Schlünder, who is head of business development for oil crops based at Einbeck, Germany, the business has around a 10% share of winter oilseed rape crops in this region. 

This is set to grow as the first hybrids from a major new breeding programme come to the market.  “Oilseed rape is now a major crop for us,” says Klaus.  “We are now the third major plant breeding business in terms of investment in the crop.  So, expect to see some major KWS varieties on farm in the next two to three years,” he predicts.

Like other breeding businesses, this investment is largely in hybrids.  And, while hybrids account for around 40% of KWS sales throughout Europe, this is growing year on year.  “In France, for example, 38% of the total crop area is in fully-restored hybrids and 7% composite hybrid types,” says Mr Schlünder.

While the UK is lagging behind, with hybrids accounting for just 20-25% of the area, new types are bringing higher yields and a consistency of performance that in-breds can’t match.

“Hybrids offer a wider genetic pool of characters than inbreds,” explains Klaus.  By combining the diverse female and male lines you have greater opportunity to introduce more wide ranging characters that offer improved adaptability in awkward growing circumstances.  At the same time – due to hybrid heterosis - vigour is improved ensuring strong growth.

“The problem has been that until now, most hybrids have been produced using techniques that are different from INRA Ogura system.  While these represent 55-60% of the German market, where they offer improved establishment and vigour in particularly harsh autumn and winter conditions, they are not consistently better – and offer inconsistent advantages - than open-pollinators in less stressful situations, such as those found in the UK.

“Indeed, in the UK, growers found that soon after their initial introduction the first generation hybrids offered no real yield advantage over the more quickly developed newer in-bred lines and were more expensive; this slowed hybrid development in the UK. 

 

Hybridisation Method

“Now though, the new generation of hybrids – produced using the INRA-developed Ogura hybridisation method - have around a 10% higher yield advantage and this makes them worth growing.”

According to Klaus Schlünder, the problem with older hybrids is that there were only 1-2 female lines available and this limited the genetic diversity of the resultant cross. 

With the INRA Ogura system, much more variation is available and now that the breeder has been able to genetically mark and separate glucosinolate and yield characteristics, growers can secure yield without high glucosinlates.

In France, where autumns are milder, it is only following the introduction of these early INRA Ogura types that hybrids have moved forward and Klaus Schlünder reckons the same will happen as the UK plays catch up. 

KWS’ European breeding team views yield as still the number one driver, followed by oil content.  However the agronomic package of disease resistance and straw characteristics also has to be right.

“We believe that the right plant structure is one where the straw is not too long to reduce lodging and where the pod canopy can be quickly air dried by wind flow to allow an even and easy harvest.

“Our breeding teams are working on rapes that strongly branch rather than producing one main stem.  The ideal is a 50/50 spilt between side branches and the main stem as deliverers of yield,” says Mr Schlünder.

“We are not aiming for super stiff types, but those that lean under typical UK conditions, to allow wind to pass through the pod canopy to dry the crop, but avoiding pod shatter.”

The first KWS bred hybrid registered in France - Tassilo – already combines shorter straw with better lodging resistance and similar types are in the pipeline.

 

Solid Agronomy

Peter Werner, who has worked with oilseed rape with KWS UK, formerly CPB-Twyford for 18 years is impressed with the KWS’ operation at Einbeck in Germany. 

“The scale of the KWS investment in the crop is enormous and the facilities they provide for the Group are fantastic,” he says.

“With the first of their new hybrids in National List trials, it looks as if we have clicked into a production line of varieties that seem well suited to the UK,” he suggests. 

“Based on the OGURA hybridisation system, these new rapes have high yield and solid agronomy.  “They are also shorter and appear able to provide a more consistent gross oil output,” he says. 

Oilseed rape has always been a key crop within the KWS portfolio in the UK.  The UK’s team actively selects, tests, and markets varieties bred by a number of breeding teams as well as cooperative partners, such as NPZ Lembke and Momont, based across the EU.

The company’s long history of new variety introduction goes back to Apache, and – under the CPB Twyford banner – the business has been at the forefront of new developments in oilseeds, including clubroot resistance as in Mendel, High Erucic Acid Rapes (HEAR) and of course hybrid varieties.

Indeed, KWS UK introduced the first UK hybrid, Synergy which was soon followed by other types such as Pronto and Disco.  Today, growers will be familiar with types such as Komando and the up and coming Epure.  In addition, most UK HEAR varieties are selected and introduced by the business.

Dr Werner says that it matters little that the rape breeding programme is not based in the UK provided that the centralised European businesses have strong links in each target country enabling locally adapted varieties to be identified and selected.

“By working with KWS as well as with other breeding partners, there’s a very large pool to select from of types which will suit a range of regional conditions.   This is particularly the case with hybrids.

“The centralised R&D facilities at Einbeck are stunning and all crops across the KWS-UK portfolio are benefiting as a result.”

 

Food Not Fuel

For the near future, Klaus Schlünder says that the KWS aim is to provide hybrids that produce high yield and high oils for the food market.

While the company is working on novel oils, his view is that current food rather than industrial or fuel use should be a priority, because if it is good for food one can use it as well for bio-energy.  “Even in the high oleic sector, we already have sunflowers with 90% oleic oil content, so these may be a better source than rapes,” he says.

“There is also a big question mark over bio-fuels in general, with less than 1% of the worldwide total available area being used for this purpose.  In Germany, where we are market leaders in bio-diesel, the industry is in turmoil with the government providing no clear direction. 

“With world food shortages a key issue, our investment is in addressing this issue.  Our aim is to produce rapes that have resistance characteristics that are not reliant on a single gene, but tolerant based on multiple genes.  This will provide more stability in the food sector.”

Peter Werner backs this.  “Our goal has to be maximum profit on farm from a balance of reduced inputs based on sustainable agricultural systems combined with high output.  That’s minimum carbon use for maximum food value,” he says.

 

French Link

French breeder, Momont is a key European partner in the KWS-UK partnership.

The family owned business – with research stations in northern and central France - has been in planting breeding for nearly 150 years

Now – as a result of the KWS acquisition of the CPB-Twyford business – Momont has closer links with the UK side of the business.

UK growers will be familiar with traditional open pollinating varieties such as Expert and most recently Komando, which took a 5% market share in its launch year.

However, the company has a younger, hybrid programme – largely using the INRA Ogura system - with the promising first stage material in early trial in France.

According to company OSR specialist, Thierry Momont, key breeding priorities focus on yield and it doesn’t matter whether this comes from a hybrid or in-bred. 

“Not every European country rewards growers for oil content,” he says.  “Thus, yield and, in particular consistency of yield, is our main priority.”

Recently launched, Epure illustrates this point.  Within all UK official trials to date, it has not dropped below the mean of the control varieties in any one trial, and Epure currently leads the pack of in-bred candidates up for Recommendation this year with a yield that's 106% of controls.

However, Epure has also produced similar consistent results across other European countries, and this highlights the flexibility needed in varieties which face a wide range of seasonal extremes, especially from season to season in one location.

While stem canker is the main disease to hit mainland Europe and the most important to provide some resistance towards, Momont also screen all their material with Scottish Agronomy for light leaf spot resistance.

As a result, some 5-6 from the Momont programme are now entered into official UK trials each year and on the strength of good prices and improved co-operation the breeders will, in the future, be targeting the UK with more specially selected lines. 

 

Hear Crops

Kings, part of Frontier Agriculture, report a growing demand for HEAR - High Erucic Acid Rapeseed - the end product, erucamide is used as a slip agent in the plastics, polymers and printing industries.

In essence, slip agents helps prevent plastic bags and cling film from sticking together, and plastic mouldings come out of their formers more easily for products such as water bottle tops.

With the majority of the crop grown in the UK by Kings on contract for Croda, Richard Whitlock reports that the company is currently offering further contracts to UK growers for next season. 

"There's an increasing demand for naturally produced slip agents and HEAR is one of the best means of delivering this," he says.  "While HEAR crops typically yield 10-12% lower than standard double lows, this yield reduction is reflected in a premium price for the crop.

However, Marcant from KWS, the UK partner for German breeder NPZ Lembke, the most widely grown HEAR hybrid is closing the existing yield gap.  "In common with most hybrids it has good autumn vigour which helps with establishment before the winter frosts and pigeons arrive," says Richard.  Over three years of trials, Marcant has out-yielded its nearest rivals by at least 5%.

 

Integrated Crop Knowledge

As a result of providing sugar beet, maize, cereals as well as oilseed rapes, KWS UK maintains that it is able to provide growers with varieties and crop husbandry advice across the rotation.

While there is no doubting the benefits of rape as a break in the cereal rotation, the key to a successful rape crop is good establishment. 

For example, the ability of rape seed to cope under early stress – especially poor moisture availability – is critical.

This is why KWS UK is working with a number of industry partners and the research community to examine the genetic variation in seed viability under stress. 

“While earlier maturing wheats such as Cordiale allow more time to prepare a good rape seedbed, and the chance to drill early and avoid losing the little moisture that is available it is important to use the right variety,” says KWS UK rape specialist, Peter Werner. 

“Drilling too early for some varieties can increase the disease burden.  Conversely, drilling late may compromise establishment prior to the winter of the slower growing types.  Here again, we are examining the role of hybrids and the potential vigour they offer in stressed conditions.”