Research and Development

The breeding and commercialisation of new varieties of forage and amenity crops has always been high on our agenda. This is because without such development work there can be no progress in relation to enhanced yields, improved disease resistance, better quality and all the other factors which ultimately combine to make new varieties perform better than their predecessors.

As an integral part of one of the largest plant breeding companies in Europe we have access to some of the most exciting genetic material available. In the maize field, for example, there are no less than 20 breeders working on the crop and the portfolio we can call on includes top class varieties bred specifically for the UK market. Several new varieties have recently been added to the 2009 NIAB Descriptive List – including Hawk which is positioned at the top end of maturity class 8.

On the herbage seed front our ley mixture brands benefit from us having a number of exclusive varieties and the same is true of our amenity brands where Madrid has taken top position in the Table for perennial ryegrasses (for Sports Uses) within the STRI’s influential Turfgrass Seed booklet.

We also fund a forage brassica breeding and trials programme at the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) in Dundee. This important work has resulted in a number of top class varieties being made available to livestock farmers in the UK.

We have also been instrumental in helping to pioneer the increased use of legumes – especially white and red clover – in this country. These two species have a vital role to play on grass-reliant livestock farms over the coming years because of their nutritional benefits and the fact that they ‘fix’ nitrogen from the atmosphere. The launch of our pelleted white clover blend, for example, now provides farmers with a much more cost effective way of introducing the crop into existing grass swards.

We have also trialled and launched a very impressive red clover blend – Red Admiral – which can deliver high yields of protein rich forage for three full harvest years.

The financial investment that continues to be made by the Group in research and development will ensure that Limagrain UK is successful in continuing to supply varieties that have the genetic potential to make a real difference to those livestock farmers keen to generate more home-grown feed and all those involved in the amenity grass market.