RGT Blackmoon lives up to its promise in Norfolk

RGT Blackmoon looked impressive all season in the 3ha strip trial, says CMG director Craig Green. “It was visually greener throughout and put on more biomass than the other three hybrid varieties in the trial. It outstripped them in terms of vigour from the start.”

The variety yielded 600kg/ha more than Duplo, a competitive variety Craig has used for a couple of seasons, and Academic, which was promoted to the Recommended List last year. Blackmoon was even further ahead of Ambassador, which has been Craig’s go-to variety for several years.

The trial, which was carried out for ADM Agriculture, was min-tilled and drilled on 8th August and had been treated with pig muck. Flea beetle damage was minimal.

Seed rates were calculated to produce 30 plants/sq m, but the Blackmoon stand ended up thinner than expected. “There was visually less stubble than with the other varieties, but it still yielded much better,” says Craig. “Whether some seed just didn’t emerge I don’t know, but I was really impressed with how it coped.”

Craig certainly wouldn’t drill the variety any earlier. “It is very vigorous – if you sow it in late July or the first week of August you might need some sheep. I see it as a later-drilled variety, best sown as you get towards August Bank Holiday or soon after when the main flea beetle migration has finished. That’s where it really fits.

“That said, there is a place for it probably any time in August in direct-drilled situations where less nitrogen is released during establishment operations, and where drills are wider and rows take longer to fill in.”

This autumn he is placing RGT Blackmoon with four oilseed rape growers to compare it with the farm standard or Duplo.

I want to make sure this result is not a one-off before committing further. But it certainly didn’t pull its punches this season – it genuinely has a lot of oomph about it. Too often you put varieties in a field that are supposed to, but they don’t really show it.

“Vigour is key for me. A small crop at the end of September is always going to be really hard to keep alive. If the crop is up to my shins by Christmas I’m comfortable.”