Nickerson variety breaks world wheat yield record

A crop of ‘Einstein’ winter wheat, a variety which was bred in the UK by
Nickerson, has achieved a new world wheat record for New Zealand farmer Mike
Solari. The crop, which was harvested in March, yielded 15.637 tonnes per
hectare, beating the previous world record of 15.36 t/ha set by Mr Solari three
years ago with a crop of Savannah, another Nickerson variety.

Sixty-eight-year-old Mr Solari, who with his wife Margaret farms at Gore on New
Zealand’s South Island, attributes his success to a combination of factors,
including the high yield potential of this very successful variety, the inherent
productivity of the farm’s heavy river-silt soils, good farming techniques and
the favourable climate which provides sufficient rain and sunshine to create a
long, slow grain-fill period. Mr Solari, who worked closely with PGG Wrightson,
New Zealand’s largest and only nationwide provider to the agricultural sector,
says that his achievements are part of a real team effort.

The highest yielding fully-recommended nabim Group 2 winter wheat on the HGCA
Recommended List, Einstein has performed extremely well across a range of
situations. Ideally suited as a first-wheat, it has also produced excellent
results when grown in a second- or continuous -wheat situation and is suitable
for late drilling up until the end of January. Producing good-quality grain
which is suitable for domestic bread production as well as the export bread and
blended-flour markets, Einstein has good all-round disease resistance and is
suitable for organic production.

Commenting on the world record Lee Robinson, Director of Marketing – Arable
Seeds, Limagrain UK, stated: “This tremendous achievement underlines Einstein’s
ability to achieve excellent results under a wide range of farming conditions.
With grain prices volatile and farm incomes under pressure the adage ‘grow for
the market’ has never been more relevant.

“Einstein, together with its even higher-yielding successor Panorama, enables
farmers to meet the requirements of both the domestic and export markets. The
export sector still offers tremendous potential for the UK agricultural industry
and there is huge potential to supply the overseas market for bread making
wheat, which accounts for more than half of the potential export tonnage yet
remains virtually untapped.”

Further information on Einstein and other Nickerson varieties is available at
www.nickersonseeds.co.uk by telephoning 01472 370151 or emailing
enquiries@nickerson.co.uk

Nickerson is the international name for the arable crops business of
Limagrain Europe, a subsidiary of Group Limagrain, the largest plant breeding
and seed development company in the European Union. The Nickerson brand operates
principally in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain, and Nickerson
varieties are available through the company’s international agents in many other
countries around the world, from Scandinavia to Australia. Best known for its
cereal varieties, Nickerson is also active and successful in the breeding and
introduction of other crop species, including oilseed rape, linseed, peas, field
beans and sugar beet. In addition, forage and amenity grasses, maize, fodder
crops and game cover mixture are bred.