Ireland
August 12, 2016
Over half of the winter oilseed rape is now cut and growers are seeing the double benefit of having a break crop on their farms.
Winter barley, especially hybrids, following break crops are yielding an extra 0.5 t/ac compared to continuous cereals and secondly, the winter oilseed rape crop itself is delivering a respectable margin of €130/ac at €360/t and 1.7t/ac (Teagasc Crop Margins, 2016).
In my experience, variety choice and getting the crop off to a good start are critical to achieve reliable and profitable oilseed rape crops.
Conventional oilseed rape varieties such as Charger, Elgar, Picto and Anastasia are picked to suit Irish conditions having topped the UK lists.
Always aim to have a well-developed tap root before winter sets in.
This tap root will absorb (in the autumn) and re-distribute (in the spring) any nitrogen left over from the previous crop, saving you money next February.
The quality of your seedbed is weather dependant but you can reliably extend the drilling window by variety choice.
Choosing a rapidly growing hybrid such as Incentive or Dariot allows you to drill when conditions suit and not be as reliant on drilling date.
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