Two new winter oilseed rape hybrids have been added to the UK National List, with seed available this summer.
Pioneer, Corteva Agriscience’s seed brand, has added PT312 and PT315 to its range, both of which have been tested across a range of sites in the UK and Europe.
Protector Sclerotinia trait
PT312 is the second OSR variety with the Protector Sclerotinia trait, which was first seen in PT303. In 2022 UK National List trials, it returned a gross output yield of 103% and an oil content of 47.6%.
Seeds and inoculants manager for Corteva, Andy Stainthorpe, says PT312’s yield performance is supported by turnip yellows virus resistance and pod shatter tolerance.
“PT312 gave the highest oil content of any variety in 2021 and 2022 UK National List trials. This is likely to generate significant oil bonus payments from commercial crops,” he says.
The second variety being launched in the UK and Ireland is PT315 which offers an even higher yield (106%) than PT312 along with oil content of 46.8%.
“The yield potential for growers is clear. PT315 comes with a unique agronomic package including pod shatter resistance, turnip yellows virus resistance and the highest autumn vigour score of any hybrid in the Pioneer range,” says Andy.
Crop vigour
In 2022/23, ADAS trials of the two varieties demonstrated significantly higher ground cover than competitor alternatives. Both also scored well for crop vigour.
Andy believes growers will benefit from having two additional varieties to choose from. “These varieties are the latest from our pipeline of hybrids to deliver what the grower wants – exemplary yields with a complete package of traits to help them to grow a successful crop in a maritime climate.
“With PT312 in particular, Pioneer is demonstrating its commitment to breeding varieties with important traits such as sclerotinia tolerance which offers in-built protection against what can be a devastating stem disease,” he concludes.
