The crop of Acacia won Gold for the highest yield of oilseed rape, as well as the highest yield potential category producing a staggering 69% of its potential, a full 8% clear of the second placed entry.
Reflecting on the growing season, Mr Lamyman says: “The canopy of Acacia was incredibly impressive for the season, standing on average well over five feet, absolutely brimming with long, large pods looking as if they would almost bust open with the amount of seed inside.”
He chose the variety as his YEN crop because it was ahead in terms of yield of all the varieties – including the hybrids – in the 2019/2020 AHDB Recommended List.
“Acacia is the highest yielding conventional variety and is one of the fastest conventional autumn vigour varieties, short and incredibly stiff.”
Before drilling, the field chosen for the YEN crop, was worked with a Lemken Terradisc, Vardestad carrier and Lely roll. The crop was drilled on 18th August using a Vardestad System Disc Rapid with the coulters set at 12cm width into a field that followed 25 years continuous spring barley.
“The field chosen for the crop was a North-East facing grade 2 chalky Wold clay to the depth of 35 cm, which then runs into pure chalk.”
The crop emerged at speed – but was very quickly under attack from flea beetle, revealed Mr Lamyman.
“However, the combination of applying an insecticide to slow the flea beetle pressure and Delta K to stimulate a cytokinin growth effect and increase the fibrous root mass, allowed the oilseed rape to grow away from the flea beetle attack, and establish itself exceptionally well in the most challenging autumn on record,” he says.
He points out that at Worlaby Farms there was 660mm of rain falling between 1st September 2019 and 1st March 2020.
By this stage the spring had turned very dry, in fact the spring of 2020 was the fifth driest spring on record at Worlaby Farms.
Five even splits of Nitrogen with three containing sulphur were applied between 1st February and 30th April, giving a total of 258 kgN/ha and 160 kg/ha So3.
A standard high yielding oilseed rape crop usually produces around 100,000 seeds/m2 at 5 thousand seed weight (TSW), but Tim achieved 161,000 seeds/m2 to maintain a normal TSW weight of around 5.
Harvested on 29th July with a Claas Lexion 750 combine, there were no problems, it was a straightforward job, reports Mr Lamyman.
“Even though it was over 5ft tall, the canopy was short and stiff enough to combine without having to alter the bed to put the rape plates and side knife on.”
