The annual Yield Enhancement Network Awards for cereals and oilseeds went online for the first time on Wednesday 25thNovember. Held in conjunction with the Croptec Show and hosted this year by Teresa Meadows of AHDB and Tom Allen-Stevens of CPM Magazine, the Awards were an open event for the first time, so everyone in the UK’s arable industry from the UK, Europe and around the world, could easily learn about the impressive achievements of YEN growers in the difficult growing year that was 2020.
This year was one that all of us, and especially UK growers, will find hard to forget. The wettest autumn and winter in decades switched to drought conditions in spring, then a dull summer ensured many could not reach the record-breaking yields of previous years. Yet despite the weather, crops were sown, competition was tight, yields were high, and many growers achieved close to the full potential of their land – some even exceeded it!
But YEN is not just a competition. Most growers enter YEN to understand how to achieve high yields on their land, and YEN scientists are keen to help.
Roger Sylvester-Bradley, YEN founder, commenting overall, said that “although fewer growers found good crops to enter, this year saw some amazing yield achievements. A few yields are even questioning whether our science-based estimates of crop potentials – averaging 18 t/ha from autumn sowings this year – are too pessimistic! This is how farming and science can make progress together – by farmers and scientists sharing their results and posing hard questions to each other.”
Sarah Kendall, crop physiologist at ADAS, commenting on the many spring barley crops entered in YEN 2020, said “winning crops achieved high ear numbers, which are so crucial in creating the storage capacity that barley crops need. Many low yielding crops were clearly impacted significantly by the dry spring which reduced tillering and tiller retention.”
Pete Berry, head of Crop Physiology at ADAS, commenting on oilseed yields, said that “Overwinter waterlogging followed by spring drought, together with high flea beetle pressure, was the perfect storm for oilseed rape last season. Estimated yield potentials for 2020 were less than in previous years mainly due to less available water in the spring. It is therefore all the more remarkable that several YEN growers achieved over 6 t/ha. It was particularly important to achieve deep rooting to tolerate the dry spring. ”
To watch a recording of the YEN Awards Event, visit the latest news section of the YEN website.
Winners awards were as follows:
Cereal YEN
Best Yield (Field)
- GOLD: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire, Independent entry 6 t/ha
- SILVER: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire, Independent entry 4 t/ha
- BRONZE: Peter Chapman of Aberdeenshire, Sponsored by Hutchinsons 8 t/ha
Best % of Potential Yield (Field)
- GOLD: Ian Learmonth of Aberdeenshire, Sponsored by Hutchinsons 102% of 13.9 t/ha
- SILVER: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire, Independent entry 98% of 15.9 t/ha
- BRONZE: Ashley Jones, of Cornwall, Sponsored by AHDB 92% of 13.9 t/ha
Best Yield (Trials)
- GOLD: Ben Giles in Oxfordshire, sponsored by Bayer 1 t/ha
Best % of Potential Yield (Trials)
- GOLD: Ben Giles in Oxfordshire, sponsored by Bayer 84% of 15.6 t/ha
Regional Awards for field entries
For the Highest Yield
Scotland:
- Peter Chapman of Aberdeenshire, sponsored by Hutchinsons 14.8 t/ha
- Northern: Thomas Todd of Northumberland, sponsored by Hutchinsons 6 t/ha
- East Midlands: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire, independent entry 6 t/ha
- East Anglia: Richard Means of Cambridgeshire, independent entry 7 t/ha
- The West: Mark Doble of Somerset, sponsored by BASF 9 t/ha
- South East: James Loder-Symonds of Kent, independent entry 0 t/ha
- Outside UK: Asmus Fromm-Christiansen of Denmark, sponsored by Hutchinsons 0 t/ha
For the Highest % of Potential Yield
- Scotland: Ian Learmonth, of Aberdeenshire, sponsored by Hutchinsons 102% of 13.9 t/ha
- Northern: Thomas Todd of Northumberland, sponsored by Hutchinsons 78% of 18.6 t/ha
- East Midlands: Tim Lamyman of Lincs., independent entry 98% of 15.9 t/ha
- East Anglia: Richard Means of Cambs., independent entry 90% of 14.0 t/ha
- The West: Ashley Jones of Cornwall, sponsored by AHDB 92% of 13.9 t/ha
- South East: James Loder-Symonds of Kent, independent entry 75% of 16.1 t/ha
- Outside UK: Brian Salome of The Netherlands, independent entry 64% of 20.1 t/ha
Best Yield (Field: Winter Barley)
- GOLD: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire, sponsored by Hutchinsons 7 t/ha
Best % of Potential Yield (Field: Winter Barley)
- GOLD: David Bell of Fife, Independent entry 84% of 14.1 t/ha
Spring Barley YEN
Best Yield (Field)
- GOLD: David Bell, of Fife, sponsored by Limagrain/Nickerson 3 t/ha
- SILVER: Thomas Todd of Northumberland, sponsored by Syngenta 7 t/ha
- BRONZE: Peter Chapman, of Aberdeenshire, sponsored by Limagrain/Nickerson 7 t/ha
Best % of Potential Yield (Field)
- GOLD: Peter Chapman, of Aberdeenshire, sponsored by Limagrain/Nickerson 87% of 11.1 t/ha
- SILVER: David Bell, of Fife, sponsored by Limagrain/Nickerson 83% of 13.7 t/ha
- BRONZE: Duncan Wilson, of Angus, sponsored by AHDB 74% of 10.4 t/ha
Oilseed YEN
Best Yield (gross output[1]) (Field)
- GOLD: Tim Lamyman of Lincs, independent entry 01 t/ha
- SILVER: Mark Stubbs of Lincolnshire, independent entry 71 t/ha
- BRONZE: John & Tom Williams of East Yorks., sponsored by Limagrain/Nickerson 59 t/ha
Best % of Potential Yield % of t/ha
- GOLD: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire, independent entry 69% of 10.2 t/ha
- SILVER: Mark Stubbs of Lincolnshire, independent entry 61% of 11.04 t/ha
- BRONZE: Allan K. Jensen of Denmark, sponsored by Bayer 60% of 8.28 t/ha
The YEN particularly seeks to celebrate innovators; special recognition in 2020 was given through the:
YEN Innovator of the year award, to:
- Chris Eglington of Norfolk
For pushing the boundaries of arable crop performance though actively initiating and encouraging crop measurement and testing.
[1] Seed yield adjusted for oil content
