Menu

Know How / Oilseed rape / Harvest and crop storage

Harvest losses are all too common in oilseed rape, when bad weather and over-ripe crops can cause pods to shatter and seed to shed, regardless of harvesting method. Find out how harvest management can be helped by varietal traits, pod sealants, desiccation and other developments as the combines roll.

Keeping oilseed rape in tip-top condition and preventing spoilage by fungi and mites in store is important for preventing any claims and rejections. Discover how to store your oilseed rape crops safely and effectively, meet food safety legislation and get a glimpse of latest storage innovations.

Must reads

Case studies

See all

HARVEST

Harvest 2021: Disease-tolerant OSR performance assessed

A sclerotinia-tolerant oilseed rape variety outyielded others on an Essex farm and was also grown at a lower cost, so its area will be expanded next season. Alex Jessop-Gaymer grew…

HARVEST AND CROP STORAGE

Q&A: How one farmer upgraded his grain dryer and storage

When it came to replacing and upgrading an outdated grain drying set up, one Oxfordshire farmer saw it as an opportunity for an attractive new income stream at the same…

OILSEED RAPE

Video: Harvest on carbon-neutral OSR grower's farm

Duncan Farrington, an arable farmer in Northamptonshire, who produced the world’s first carbon- and plastic-neutral food product, has now completed harvest of his 36ha of rapeseed where the hybrid variety…

OILSEED RAPE

OSR Masters: Growers make a good start to new season

Drilling dates have varied by five weeks and costs are being kept low as our Oilseed Rape Masters get this season’s crops up and away. Adam Driver, Driver Farms, Brockley,…

HARVEST

Video: World record OSR yield attempt in Lincolnshire

High on the Lincolnshire Wolds, grower Tim Lamyman is trying to break his own world yield record for oilseed rape and the omens look good. There is thick carpet of…

HARVEST AND CROP STORAGE

How farmers will benefit from grain co-op’s kit upgrades

Storage and drying equipment upgrades are helping an “open all hours” co-operative store to maintain service levels for south-west growers, enabling combines to continue cutting in busy harvest periods. Devon…

Practical advice

See all

HARVEST

Advice on reducing harvest losses in oilseed rape

Getting pre-harvest management of OSR crops right is essential for minimising harvest losses, which is not just money down the drain, but creates volunteer problems for years to come. Losses…

HARVEST AND CROP STORAGE

Tips to achieve successful long-term grain storage

There are many factors to take into consideration when storing grain crops for the long term. Getting it wrong means quality will deteriorate, which can lead to significant financial losses.…

HARVEST AND CROP STORAGE

How to dry grain more efficiently in a wet harvest

With showery summers predicted to become more common, now is a good time to appraise grain-drying facilities and reinvest where necessary to help deal with any extreme seasons to come.…

ARABLE

Tips for raising oilseed rape yields

Oilseed rape growers taking part in an Adas-organised yield competition averaged 0.5t/ha more than their counterparts in Germany last season, a country that has historically out-yielded the UK. While the…

OILSEED RAPE

Ways to improve on 2016's poor oilseed rape yields

Oilseed rape growers are being urged to focus on good establishment, adequate nutrition and top-notch disease control to avoid the dismal yields of last summer. Poor weather was the key…

OILSEED RAPE

Hybrid oilseed rape varieties need later desiccation

Oilseed rape desiccation using glyphosate for modern hybrid varieties should be timed later than that used in the past for traditional conventional varieties. Barrie Hunt, Monsanto’s technical specialist for its…

Insights

See all

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Should farms sell or chop straw with fertiliser prices high?

The value of straw, whether for power stations or traditional forage and bedding markets remains, buoyant, and many growers will be looking to take advantage of that. However, with high…

VARIETY SELECTION

Harvest 2021: The 5 top-yielding OSR varieties map

Throughout the harvest season, we are updating our handy map with the latest data from 2021’s AHDB oilseed rape Recommended List harvest results. Use the map below to find the…

HARVEST

Analysis: Cost of extreme weather on 2020 crop performance

The weather extremes in the hugely difficult 2019-20 cropping season provided a unique test of crop performance, with some new winter wheat varieties showing promise. From some of the wettest…

HARVEST

Harvest 2020: The 5 top-yielding OSR varieties map

Throughout the harvest season, we are updating our handy map with the latest data from 2020’s AHDB oilseed rape Recommended List harvest results. Use the map below to find the…

HARVEST

Harvest verdict: Barley is the winner in mixed season

The 2019 harvest started in ideal dry conditions with winter barley growers reporting bumper crops coming off with good quality, some were even seeing yields well into double digits.    But…

VARIETY SELECTION

Harvest 2019: The 5 top-yielding winter oilseed rape varieties

Throughout the harvest season, we are updating our handy map with the latest data from 2019’s AHDB winter oilseed rape Recommended List harvest results. Use the map below to find…

HARVEST

Harvest verdict: OSR the big winner for 2017

Oilseed rape yields jumped sharply this summer as the weather seemed to suit the crop while the picture with wheat output was more regional. Prospects for the rapeseed crop edged…

HARVEST

Harvest 2017: The 5 top-yielding oilseed rape varieties

Throughout the harvest season we will be updating this handy map with the latest data from this year’s AHDB oilseed rape Recommended List 2017 harvest results. Use the map below to…

OILSEED RAPE

How variety choice can help ease the oilseed rape harvest

Ease of harvesting could become just as important as ease of management when it comes to choosing oilseed rape varieties. The threat to glyphosate’s future and the possibility of greater…

HARVEST

Harvest review: How 2016 yields measure up

UK rapeseed production has slumped by more than 30% below the previous season, while cereals fell back in line with the five-year average, according to the first official figures for harvest…

VARIETY SELECTION

Top-yielding candidate varieties revealed

Last season was a challenging one, with “average” yields being the new “good”. However, some candidate varieties in AHDB trials offered a glimpse of what is to come. Those up…

External resources

AHDB Grain storage guide

Good storage practice for cereals and oilseed rape
View guide

HSE Grain dust

Safety guidance to protects you from exposure to grain dust
View guide

AHDB Grain sampling guide

How to accurately assess grain quality and condition
View guide

AHDB Grain moisture

Guidelines for measuring grain moisture content at harvest, storage and sale
View guide