Knutsford research site brings Barenbrug grass breeding in-house
After more than 30 years of working in partnership with the AFBI Grass Breeding programme at Loughgall in Northern Ireland, leading grass seed producer Barenbrug has brought its future grass breeding programme in-house to enable it to develop new grass varieties and seed mixtures that have been specifically bred to excel in UK and Ireland conditions. To ensure the ongoing genetic improvement of Barenbrug’s grass varieties and speciality seed mixtures, a dedicated breeding programme has been established at Knutsford in Cheshire, where the company’s new in-house plant breeding team will focus on producing its own products without having to rely on the commitment of an external partner. “Our investment at the 55ha Knutsford site is a fabulous opportunity to build on more than three decades of breeding success in the UK,” says David Linton, Barenbrug’s Commercial Manager for agriculture. “Barenbrug’s alliance with AFBI has seen more than 50 varieties added to the Recommended List and cumulative grass yield increases of more than 0.5% per annum. “Beyond our collaboration with AFBI, we are continuing to lead seed production and mixture selection in the UK and develop grass varieties that build on the strong agronomic and varietal traits, yield potential and the high quality of their predecessors. “Developing our own breeding programme gives us the opportunity to advise farmers on a wider range of factors, such as soil health, seed mixture composition and nutrition, to ensure swards reseeded or overseeded with a Barenbrug mixture contribute to a higher and faster return on investment,” adds Mr Linton. As one of the country’s largest growers of grass seed supplying the agricultural and amenity sectors, Barenbrug’s detailed breeding programmes have been designed for specific end uses, from high yielding silage leys through to environmental schemes, to continually meet the requirements of farmers. “The past two seasons have highlighted that resilient swards, tested in UK conditions, are what growers need to ensure production values are maintained. Ryegrass is the most productive and nutritious grass, but its shallow rooting leaves it very susceptible to drought. Our programmes need to explore how we can conserve moisture and protect the soil by growing different varieties alongside ryegrass to meet the challenges of UK agriculture. “Our trial site at Knutsford is a key location for variety testing and research development allowing flexibility to trial mixtures for a range of different end uses. Whether it’s an overseed or reseed mixture specifically designed to cope with extreme weather periods, or an SFI mix that can return more to the soil than just compliance, by exploring and exploiting all aspects of forage science we can develop a competitive, expansive breeding programme that’s designed to meet future needs of farmers,” concludes Mr Linton.
Source: industry press release.