Emerson, a new hybrid oilseed rape which is marketed by Nickerson and has the highest-possible resistance to Light Leaf Spot, delivered an outstanding weighbridge-confirmed yield of 38.01 cwt per acre at one particularly difficult site in Banffshire, Scotland this year. According to a leading industry expert, the yield is “likely to be the best ever recorded in the region”, underlining the variety’s agronomic and yield advantages. 

“The benefits of Emerson were crystal clear throughout a difficult season in which oilseed rape crops faced considerable challenges and Light Leaf Spot was present at record levels,” emphasises Charlie Birnie, Commercial Director of GrainCo Scotland, the largest grain trading and marketing business in Scotland and the North of England.  

“Many farmers in Scotland struggled to establish oilseed rape because of adverse weather last summer, while wet conditions during the autumn contributed to poor establishment and conventional varieties suffered from lower vigour. Waterlogged fields subsequently made it difficult to apply an autumn fungicide and a significant percentage of the oilseed rape acreage remained untreated against Light Leaf Spot, which compounded the problems which growers faced. 

“Emerson provided a dramatic contrast. All of our customers who grew this variety reported that they established very well, developed very evenly and looked exceptional throughout the growing season. That translated into significantly higher yields at harvest, which started a couple of weeks earlier than normal. Growers were very pleased with the performance of Emerson and will be growing it again this year. 

“Because it was a new variety, the amount of seed available was very limited and the 300 hectares we had to allocate were spread across 25 farms in order to evaluate its performance across the widest possible range of soil types and growing conditions. The ‘record’ crop was grown on a field which varies in height by more than 100'. With a conventional oilseed rape the lower-lying parts of the field would normally come into flower first, with higher areas demonstrating reduced germination, less uniform establishment, later flowering and reduced yield. Emerson emerged evenly, exhibited typical hybrid vigour even under cold, wet conditions and established strong, thick-stemmed plants that flowered simultaneously, which was very important in ensuring even development, ripening and harvesting. 

“The oilseed rape acreage in Scotland will undoubtedly increase significantly this year, in many cases replacing the spring barley which many farmers were forced to grow last season because difficult conditions during the autumn prevented them from establishing winter cereals. The acreage of Emerson will be limited again this year by the restricted supply of seed, but there’s no doubt that it will be a very strong contender in Scotland.” 

Les Daubney, Nickerson’s Oilseed and Protein Crops Product Manager, adds: “Emerson has the best-possible (9) resistance to Light Leaf Spot, which makes it very well suited to situations where this is present. We did not see the disease on any crop of Emerson and the further North you go the more compelling the case for growing this variety becomes. Emerson also offers a good all-round package of agronomic features, making it easy to grow and harvest, while the higher-than-average oil content and yield generates very attractive financial returns.” 

Emerson is sold in packs containing 1.5 million viable seeds, sufficient to drill three hectares at 50 seeds per square metre.