Optimising OSR yields

Growers unable to drill oilseed rape early this year still have an opportunity to maximise the crop’s establishment ahead of winter by using biostimulants to boost plant vigour.

With external pressures such as inclement weather and pests including cabbage stem flea beetle, improving OSR’s survival chances could seem slim if the crop isn’t already up and away. However, new trial data for Maxicrop Triple suggests not only does the product yield a benefit at establishment, but also at harvest too, which could prove valuable for many crops.

“Laboratory research has shown that Maxicrop Triple increases leaf chlorophyll while enhancing root and shoot growth,” says Syngenta Biological’s Mike Garner. “Although this is important, we understand the value of field trials in demonstrating the product from a practical perspective.”

To address this, the company now has three years of trial data to support the claim that Maxicrop Triple helps improves establishment and subsequent yields, helping to maximise crop margins.

2022/23 results

For 2022/23 OSR trials, (previous results can be viewed here), the product was applied at 2.0 l/ha at 6-8 leaf stage. As with previous research, the Maxicrop treated plots showed improvements in early vigour, root and shoot growth.

Early vigour results, while not statistically significant, showed improvements of around +6-7% compared with untreated.

Shoot length and weight showed improvements of +6% and +11% respectively, although these weren’t statistically significant. Root length and weight showed statistically significant improvements compared with untreated, with a 22% improvement in root length and 10.4% improvement in root weight.

Yield results

“Yield results demonstrate an impressive response, with Maxicrop treated plots delivering an additional 0.39t/ha (+10.29%),” says Mike. “This is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.

“With OSR at £350/t, this gives a net margin increase of £121.50/ha, taking into account the cost of Maxicrop Triple as an input. Even in the current climate that’s a worthwhile response, with a return on investment of 8:1, helping to improve returns significantly,” he says.

Source: Syngenta Biologicals, conducted by Cropsure.

Three year average

Three years of trial data has shown a consistent statistically significant yield response from the use of Maxicrop Triple as an autumn treatment on OSR. A simple assessment of yield over the three years of trials demonstrates an average of + 0.27t/ha compared with untreated.

Application

Maxicrop Triple is formulated from seaweed extracts and is suitable for use on a wide range of crops. It can be tank mixed with different crop protection products including fungicides, giving greater timing flexibility to accommodate phoma or light leaf spot treatments.

For more information, contact Michael.Garner@syngenta.com