There’s still time to establish OSR this autumn

Oilseed rape was a stand-out performer on many farms this harvest, with Lincolnshire grower Tim Lamyman even setting a new world record yield with his September-sown crop of LG Avenger.

Many growers will have already drilled 2025/26 crops, but for those that have not, there is still time to get oilseed rape in, providing conditions are suitable, said Ryan Kemp, senior trials officer at Limagrain Field Seeds.

“In our trials on the Lincolnshire Wolds, we’ve drilled oilseed rape right up to the first week in October in some years and still produced decent crops.

“The UK generally doesn’t really see extremely cold winters anymore, so, providing there is still sufficient warmth and moisture in the soil, and you can get crops to the 6 to 9 true leaf stage before winter, they should survive pretty well,” he added.

Indeed, later drilling can be advantageous in helping to miss early cabbage stem flea beetle activity, potentially reducing the classic ‘shot-holing’ damage caused by adults, and also reducing larvae pressure in spring.

Smaller plants also tend to be at lower risk from foliar diseases, such as light leaf spot, compared with earlier-sown, dense canopies, Mr Kemp noted.

Rapid establishment is key

Strong, fast establishment is central to the success of any oilseed rape crop, though, particularly when sowing later in the season, and Mr Kemp identified five important steps to help achieve this:

1. Select the right variety

All LG hybrid varieties have very good hybrid autumn vigour and are well suited for later drilling, the expert said.

2. Wait for moisture

Adequate soil moisture at drilling, and crucially, 10 days after drilling, is vital for rapid oilseed rape germination and establishment.

3. Establish crops well

Mr Kemp said that the optimum establishment technique will vary for individual situations and soil types, but whatever system is used, maximising seed-to-soil contact and conserving moisture with adequate seedbed consolidation, is key.

“Remove any compaction prior to drilling to avoid compromising root growth, but only do what is necessary to help conserve moisture and protect natural soil structure. Strip tillage systems that only disturb a narrow band of soil can work very well for oilseed rape,” he added.

4. Use a placement fertiliser

Placing phosphate and a small amount of nitrogen fertiliser with seed at drilling is a very effective way of stimulating strong root development and crop establishment. Liquid and microgranular products are available, so discuss the best options with your agronomist or advisor.

5. Control weeds early

Any pre-emergence herbicides should be applied as soon as possible after drilling to minimise early weed competition.

“Growing any crop, oilseed rape in particular, can sometimes be like a roll of the dice, so you have to be prepared to invest a bit of time and money to make it work,” said Mr Kemp.

“If you do, oilseed rape is still very profitable in the right situations. It can yield brilliantly, as we have seen on-farm and in trials this year, where there have been some really good yields.

“We’ve had up to 6t/ha in some of our trial plots, which is fantastic, and at those sorts of yields, oilseed rape makes a really valuable addition to the rotation.”

Stand-out performer

Staffordshire farmer Rob Atkin said that oilseed rape has been the “crop of the year” on the 380ha mixed family farm.

His 14ha of LG Armada yielded around 5t/ha (2t/acre), well above the farm average of nearer 4.2t/ha (1.7t/acre), and with relatively high oil content.

“For us, it was one of the best years for growing oilseed rape for a long time,” he added.

The two fields both followed winter barley, one drilled on 5th August, the other on the 25th. “The later-sown field did struggle a bit with pigeon damage last autumn, but other than that, there wasn’t a lot to choose between them. They established quickly and looked well all through winter and into spring/summer,” he noted.

Mr Atkin has increased his oilseed rape area to 60ha for 2025/26, split 50:50 between LG Armada and the cabbage stem flea beetle-resilient variety, LG Avenger.

“Although CSFB pressure was very low last year, and we haven’t seen much activity so far this year, it can be an issue here, so it’s another tool to help us reduce risk,” he concluded.

Reasons to grow OSR

The Limagrain Field Seeds UK has shared a list of key reasons why farmers should choose to grow oilseed rape:

Read more arable news.