The 2013 BBRO Sugar Beet Recommended List includes three new high yielding varieties from SESVANDERHAVE: Dolphin, Bulldog and Pitbull.
’All three have partial-resistance to Rhizomania, whilst Pitbull is also tolerant to Beet Cyst Nematodes. These complement our existing portfolio, which includes last year’s most widely grown variety Cayman, as well as Lipizzan, Badger and two of the RL control varieties: Bobcat and Bullfinch, which have stood the test of time,’ Said Ian Munnery, General Manager of SESVANDERHAVE UK.
’Dolphin and Bulldog are still undergoing National Listing and will only be available to growers once this process is complete.’
- Dolphin offers a significant advance in sugar beet yields with very high adjusted tonnes consistently over the past three years. It has average scores for early sown bolting.
- Bulldog also demonstrates very high yield, with a score for early sown bolting just behind Cayman.
- Pitbull has been extensively tested under Beet Cyst Nematode in the UK and provides growers with real bite against the pest which poses a growing threat to the UK crop.
’Whilst early drilling can increase yields it is not without risk. Spring 2012 has been one of the coldest and wettest on record and the importance of lower bolting varieties remains clear. Our extensive UK trialling is delivering tangible results for UK growers, making Cayman the most popular variety for sowing this spring and incidentally the highest yielding variety in 2011 trials ’ the first year under the new topping specification,’ said Richard Robinson, SESVANDERHAVE’S UK Trials and Research Manager.
’In fact, the top three varieties for early sown bolters are all from SESVANDERHAVE: Cayman, Badger and Lipizzan.’
