A HIGH vigour fodder beet variety, with a top-rated dry matter yield, is to be made available for sowing this year – but only in limited quantities.

Field Options, the forage and fodder crops seeds division of ProCam, has announced that Goldimo, will be available for this drilling season after it was newly-placed on the National List.

A fodder beet from KWS Momont – which also bred popular varieties Geronimo and Lactimo – was added to the UK list in mid-February and has four key advantages – excellent establishment vigour, a high dry matter yield, uniformly-sized and smooth-skinned roots for easy lifting, and good all-round disease resistance.

The National Listing figures showed Goldimo to have a fresh root yield 9 t/ha higher than the mean of control varieties and a dry matter yield that was 2.4 t/ha higher than the mean of control varieties, at a dry matter content of 18.7%.

Francis Dunne, director of Field Options – which will be marketing Goldimo in the UK – commented: “Field trials carried out by ourselves have shown that Goldimo had very good seedling vigour and consistently produced high yields of uniform pink roots, which have a smooth skin for cleaner lifting.

"It is, therefore, the ideal lifting variety for livestock farmers who want to move their fodder beet’s yield and productivity to the next level,” he added.

Displaying good establishment vigour and low bolting risk, as well as robust all-round disease resistance – it is rhizomania tolerant. “At more than 18% dry matter it will have good storage qualities, with its uniform root size, of which about 75% sits in the ground, making it very well adapted to lifting with all types of beet harvesters.”

Seed volumes in its first commercial year will be limited and expected to sell out in quick order. “Anyone wanting to include the latest high-yielding variety in their 2022 cropping calendar should therefore act soon to secure their order,” Mr Dunne concluded.