Sugar beet focus Recommendation for four new
varieties from SESVanderHave • Seed undergoes extensive UK trials • Drive to minimise early-sown bolters • Durable and consistent performance
7.6 making it a good robust choice for growers.
F
our new sugar beet varie- ties from SESVanderHave – bred exclusively for the
UK market – have been added to the BBRO/BSPB Sugar Beet Rec- ommended List for 2020. Lightning, Conger, Puffi n and
Vixen have all been extensively trialled in the UK by the breeder – in addition to their performance being monitored in offi cial trials (see box right). “In total, these four varie-
ties have been tested extensive- ly in both the Recommended List and our own UK trials network over the past three years,” says Ian Munnery of SESVanderHave UK.
Low bolters
The drive to minimise the risk of early sown bolters has been a fea- ture of SESVanderHave varieties for some years. This trend contin- ues with the new varieties, each
of which offers advances in yield over existing varieties from the company.
Some of the new varieties have very low bolter counts from ear- ly sown bolter trials and excep- tional low bolter counts from nor- mal sowing.
Lightning will suit growers looking for a variety to sow at nor- mal time (from 15 March). The va- riety has an excellent sugar yield of 103% plus a high score for rust tolerance of 7.1. Vixen has one of the lowest bolter counts on the new list from early sowing – just 1,692/ha and zero bolting when sown after 15 March. Vixen also tops the list for its resistance to rust with a score of
“
These four varieties have been tested extensively over the past three years
Consistent performance Conger has very low bolters (2,776/ha) from early sowing and none when drilled after 15 March. It has a high sugar yield with good resistance to rust. Puffi n is well-suited to early sowing with a low bolter count from early sown bolter trials of 2,048/ha with zero bolters from sowing after 15 March.
The four new varieties join es- tablished SESVanderHave varie- ties Cayman, Firefl y and Hornet. Cayman is celebrating its 11th
year in Recommended List trials this year; showing its durability and consistent performance in each of the past 10 years where it has coped exceptionally with a wide variety of weather conditions. “SESVanderHave varieties endure as trusted favourites for growers,” said Mr Munnery. “This refl ects our approach to ensuring varieties are trialled using seed from commercial lots and exten- sive testing across the UK under a range of conditions.”
Trials are ‘vital part of commercialisation process’
UK fi eld trials are a critical part of the process for SESVander- Have to decide which sugar beet varieties to develop for commer- cial production, says the com- pany.
The breeder undertakes an extensive number of UK fi eld trials to test its seed under lo- cal climatic and production systems. Working with expe- rienced local growers, hybrids are tested alongside the best approved varieties to confi rm whether they performs better than the control varieties. During the growing season,
The SESVanderHave UK team (l-r): Technical manager Tim Giles; Trials manager Colin Fines; customer services Alison English; Trials technician Sophie Davies; R&D manager Richard Robinson; director Ian Munnery.
SESVanderHave research ex- perts monitor the different plots for emergence, tolerance to pests, disease and bolting, along with other important plant characteristics. The tri- als are then harvested to meas- ure each variety for root yield and performance. Sugar concentration and pu- rity are also analysed to calcu- late sugar yield and the poten- tial payments that growers would receive. After statistical analysis, a decision is made about which hybrids continue for further research.
66 ANGLIA FARMER • JUNE 2019
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