The significance of the independent varietal testing service for Irish tillage was highlighted at this year’s Crops Forum, held this week.
Cara Mac Aodháin, from the Crop Policy Evaluation and Certification Division at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) addressed the event.
“The department is not in the business of selling seed. Our only role is to accurately assess the various cereal and rape varieties submitted to us in a totally scientific manner,” he explained.
“The job is to identify those varieties that perform best under Irish conditions.”
Mac Aodháin specifically referenced the wide range of weather and ground conditions that have impacted on Irish tillage over the past three years.
Crops enjoyed almost perfect growing conditions during 2022 with conditions being the almost polar opposite during the two years that followed.
The DAFM representative continued:
“This wide range of growing conditions allows for a more stringent assessment of specific varieties’ potential to deliver under Irish conditions.”
Reflecting on the trends identified by the DAFM trials over the past number of years, Mac Aodháin highlighted the performance improvements recorded by the latest varieties of winter oilseed rape.
“This has been brought about by significant improvements in genetic selection. And we are already seeing this process replicated where cereals are concerned.
“The challenging weather conditions in recent years have provided invaluable information in identifying varieties that will perform consistently for farmers.
“In turn, this highlights the importance of selecting varieties from the Recommended List which have been comprehensively evaluated and proven over a number of years.”
Varietal testing
The new DAFM winter cereal variety ratings are derived from the mean of data from the 2022 to 2024 varietal testing trials.
Relative yield of each variety is calculated as a percentage of control varieties. The average yield of the control varieties equals 100.
Yield ratings are from trials carried out in accordance with good commercial husbandry practices.
Actual data are given for hectolitre weight, hagberg falling number, kernel content, protein content, screenings, straw height and thousand grain weight.
Assessment of other characteristics is based on a scale of one to 9; a high figure is desirable and indicates possession of the characteristic to a high degree.
Varieties with disease ratings of eight or over are very resistant; seven indicates good resistance and six moderate resistance; five indicates moderate susceptibility while four is rated susceptible; one, two and three are very susceptible.