Pinnacle, a conventional oilseed rape variety bred in the UK, has been named the number one variety in the 2024 AHDB Recommended List, achieving a UK gross output of 102%, 103% in the east and west and 101% in the north.
It was developed by independent plant breeder Mike Pickford, who has fifty years of experience breeding varieties. He was head of breeding at Twyford from 1973 to 1995 before going self-employed, working on programmes with RAGT and Maisadour.
He is now the only UK breeder focusing on conventional oilseed rape varieties. Working from the Cotswolds, his strategy is based on simple maths, he explains, choosing varieties with a high number of pods, a high number of seeds per pod, and large seeds.
“Pinnacle has on average about a 5% increase in yield components compared with some earlier varieties such as Elevation. It has an 8% increase in yield components over Campus, with more pods per plant, more seeds per pod and larger seeds. Pinnacle has seeds with a thousand grain weight between 6.5 to 7gms compared to Campus at 5 to 6 gms,” he said.
He also favours clean green stems, enabling the plant to continue the photosynthesis process as the pods fill. This means the plant continues to build yield right up until the end of the season.
Beckii Gibbs, seed manager for United Oilseeds, commented: “We’re really pleased to have Pinnacle in the portfolio for 2024. Conventional varieties will always have a place in the OSR market and Mike has done a brilliant job of developing the No1 variety this year.”