On June 12, we were present at a meeting for press representatives at the Saatbau varietal cereal and rapeseed plots in Poświatne in the Płońsk commune in the province. Masovian Voivodeship. What new products has Saatbau prepared for the upcoming season? In what direction will the offer be developed?
Saatbau is an Austrian agricultural cooperative operating since 1945, breeding varieties of many species of crops. Although Saatbau Polska’s offer includes a wide selection of winter and spring cereals, rapeseed, soybean, sunflower, peas and even poppy seeds, this is only a fragment of what the company offers on its domestic market. Saatbau’s philosophy, as an agricultural cooperative, is to supply all the species that farmers need. The direction in which the company intends to develop is organic farming, i.e. varieties with increased resistance to pests, coping with less fertilization and production of seed material in the standard of organic farms.
Winter wheat
The most important variety in Saatbau’s winter wheat offering is Chevignon. It is a variety with high yield potential, producing bread-quality grain and enjoying great interest, even exceeding the reproduction capacity of certified seed material. This variety belongs to last year’s Polish wheat yield record, amounting to 12,837 t/ha. At the same time, as Saatbau representatives boast, it is the most frequently purchased wheat variety in Europe.
The first variety we could see during our visit to the plots in Poświatne was Artimus. It is a bony variety, classified as an elite variety, characterized by high yield potential even in conditions of periodic water shortage. This is a very early variety, able to reach maturity before the heat has a negative impact on the yield level. It is also characterized by very good winter hardiness and resistance to rust, powdery mildew, brown leaf spot and septoria blight. The mentioned bones are a noticeable feature from a distance. This type of varieties are popular in Austria, where Saatbau comes from, due to their better adaptation to the specific climate there.
Novatus winter wheat is an option for weaker positions and delayed sowing. This is a new variety with high yield potential and high grain quality. Despite the long blades, this variety does not tend to lode, which makes harvesting easier while ensuring a large straw yield. It is also characterized by strong tillering and resistance to powdery mildew and rust.
Voltage, in turn, is winter wheat with a short blade but a thick ear. It is a medium-early wheat, classified to quality group B, but with good fertilization it has the potential to achieve group A parameters. It is characterized by high yield potential with a very low tendency to lodging. In addition, it is worth emphasizing the high initial vigor and resistance to stem base diseases, brown leaf spot and septoria blight of leaves and glumes.
Aloisius, on the other hand, is a late, bony variety, suitable for weaker locations. As for the qualitative group, it is referred to as E/A. This means that the variety fully meets the Polish standards of group E, while in Austria it was registered as A due to a more restrictive approach to baking parameters. It is a variety characterized by coarse grain, liked by millers. However, it should be emphasized that Aloisius wheat is so late that Saatbau does not recommend its cultivation in the northern part of Poland.
Winter rapeseed
As Daniel Niewiński, Marketing Director of Saatbau Polska, says, the company pursues a moderate pricing policy, offering high-class varieties at affordable prices. One way to combine these seemingly contradictory features is to develop population breeding varieties of winter rapeseed. It turns out that their yield does not have to be worse than that of hybrid varieties generally considered to be more fertile, and at the same time, population varieties are cheaper and often perform better in weaker locations.
One of the new population varieties of winter rapeseed is Wally. It is a medium-early variety, easy to recognize thanks to its characteristic long, pointed leaves. In addition to high yield potential and good winter hardiness, the Wally variety is characterized by high oil quality and resistance to cabbage dry rot thanks to the Rlm7 gene.
Another option among the population varieties is Sherwood. It is a medium-early variety, characterized by high initial vigor and, at the same time, high yield potential and good winter hardiness. Sherwood winter rapeseed is suitable for poorer soils and is characterized by good health.
When it comes to hybrid varieties of winter rapeseed, Richmond is an interesting proposition from Saatbau. This variety is characterized by resistance to cabbage clubroot (Rlm7 gene) and turnip yellows, and at the same time a very high yield potential, at the level of the best varieties without resistance. What is also important, Richmond is suitable for very short crop rotations, e.g. rapeseed – wheat – rapeseed, and also tolerates poorer soils.
Winter barley
We could see Lentia winter barley on the plots in Poświatne. It is a two-row, medium early variety with high yield potential even with periodic rainfall deficiency. Lentia winter barley is also characterized by coarse grain and resistance to diseases, in particular to barley yellow mosaic virus. This variety reaches an average height and is therefore less susceptible to lodging.
The second Saatbau winter barley variety that we had the opportunity to see was Adalina. It is a new multi-row variety with high yield potential. Importantly, it tolerates weaker locations well, which is proven by impressive yield results in various parts of Poland. It is an early, medium-height variety, resistant to barley yellow mosaic virus.
Winter rye and winter triticale
When it comes to winter rye, Saatbau’s offer is the SU Forsetti variety. It is a hybrid rye characterized by low susceptibility to ergot. This variety develops strongly and develops abundantly grained ears, which translates into a very high yield potential. As befits rye, SU Forsetti performs well in weak positions.
Claudius is a winter triticale with a very high yield potential, as evidenced by its impressively large ears. This variety performs well in any position, as well as in delayed sowing. Claudius is a medium-late, tall variety with low susceptibility to lodging. It is worth remembering that this variety requires shortening to maintain favorable parameters
