Winter oilseed rape recommended and candidate lists

Results from Recommended List winter oilseed rape trials now complete, with final yields just above average

• Fungicide-treated average control gross output yield is 5.36 t/ha, which is 0.12 t/ha above the 4-year average, with very high yields from Scottish trials having pulled the average up at the end
• Fungicide-untreated average gross output control yield is 4.86 t/ha with is 0.17 t/ha below the 4-year average

Results all Recommended List winter oilseed rape trials have been published today. Two of the fifteen fungicide-treated trials were rejected, one for poor emergence and establishment, the other for a combination of CSFB and pigeon damage. All four fungicide-untreated trials have been validated. 

As usual trials in Scotland are higher yielding, with controls in a trial in Aberdeenshire yielding 6.86 t/ha and all Scottish trials averaging above 6.00 t/ha. This has pulled the UK average up. Trials further south have yielded lower, with controls in the trial at Thorne in South Yorkshire yielding just 3.96 t/ha, though at the Hampshire site, average control yield reached 5.72 t/ha.

In the fungicide-untreated trials Scottish trials are again higher yielding, with very low yield recorded in the trial in Hampshire (2.73 t/ha), with the main disease being verticillium stem stripe at this site.

2025–26 season overview

The 2025–2026 season brought the usual mix of challenges for winter oilseed rape trials; cabbage stem flea beetle, variable establishment, overwinter waterlogging and pigeon damage, but their overall impact has been relatively low, with only one trial lost before harvest and one rejected after harvest. Clubroot has not affected any RL trials this year, though two Variety List trials in South Wales were abandoned on a farm with no previous history of the disease, showing how clubroot is becoming a more widespread issue.

Average yields

Yields are reported as a gross output, which is the seed yield adjusted for oil content. The values are represented as a percentage of the control varieties; LG Adapt, Aurelia, Turing, LG Armada and Pi Pinnacle.

2026 final trial yields

Fungicide-treated trials

The highest‑yielding variety is the newly recommended hybrid for the UK Dompteur, on 105%, this is followed by several hybrids on 103%, LG Adapt, and the East/West varieties Maverick and Turing. The newly recommended hybrid Karat is on 102%, well below its four-year average, along with the variety for the North LG Adeline. The UK variety LG Academic is on 101% and the newly recommended UK variety KWS Domingos is on 100%, both of these varieties are below their four-year average.

Pi Pinnacle, recommended for the UK, is highest yielding of the conventional varieties in 2026 on 98%, above its four-year average, with Tom just behind on 97%. Newly recommended UK conventional variety Bachus is on 96%, just below its four-year average. Annika, recommended for the East/West region, is on 93%, along with Powerhouse, recommended for the North.

The newly recommended clubroot‑resistant variety for the North Crios is on 97% along with Crusoe, recommended for the UK. Cromputer, also recommended for the UK, is on 96%, matching its four‑year average.

LG Calvin CL, a newly recommended herbicide tolerant variety for the UK, is on 94%, Matrix CL, recommended for the UK on 93%, and Beatrix CL, recommended for the East/West, is on 92%.

The new described HEAR variety Eriksen has done very well in 2026, on 100%, well above its four-year average with the other described HEAR variety Resort also having a good 2026 and on 89%, well above its four-year average.

Fungicide-untreated trials

With just four fungicide-untreated trials in 2026 results should be treated with extra caution. Newly recommended UK hybrid variety Karat is highest yielding on 107%, well ahead of its four-year average. With newly recommended  Dompteur on 105% and North variety LG Adeline and East/West Maverick on 104%. Newly recommended UK hybrid KWS Domingos is on 103% along with LG Academic.

Tom is the highest-yielding conventional variety on 99%, with newly recommended UK variety Bachus and Powerhouse, recommended for the North is on 98% and East/West variety Anika is on 92%. All have performed above their four-year average.

LG Calvin CL is highest yielding of the herbicide tolerant varieties on 94% in 2026, with Matrix CL just behind on 93% and Beatrix CL recommended for the East/West on 92%.

Newly recommended Crios is highest yielding of the clubroot resistant varieties on 100%, with Cromputer on 98% and Crusoe on 96%.

2023–26 averages

Fungicide-treated trials

Four-year averages are a better indicator of overall performance and provide an indication of the varieties that are likely to be recommended in the autumn, though disease resistance and agronomic characteristics are also taken into account.

Based on the four-year average values, the highest yielding varieties remain similar to the current RL. Newly recommended UK variety Dompteur is highest yielding on 106%, with newly recommended UK variety Karat on 105%. LG Adapt and newly recommended UK variety KWS Domingos are on 104%. LG Academic and Maverick which is recommended only for the East/West are both on 103%.

Of the conventional varieties, the newly recommended variety for the UK Bachus is highest yielding on 97%. Pi Pinnacle and Tom are just behind on 96%. Powerhouse recommended for the North and Annika recommended for the East/West are on 93%.

Crusoe is the highest yielding clubroot resistant variety on 98%, followed by the newly recommended for the North Crios and Cromputer on 96%.

The newly recommended for the UK variety LG Calvin CL is the highest yielding herbicide-tolerant variety on 93%, followed by Beatrix CL recommended for the East/West on 92% and Matrix CL on 91%.

Fungicide-untreated trials

Newly recommended Dompteur is highest yielding on 106%, with newly recommend hybrid KWS Domingos on 105%. Newly recommended Karat is on 104%, alongside East/West variety Maverick, LG Academic and LG Armada.

Tom and northern recommendation Powerhouse on 97%, are the highest yielding of the conventional varieties, with newly recommended Bachus just behind on 96% and Pi Pinnacle on 95%.

LG Calvin CL is highest yielding of the herbicide-tolerant varieties on 95%, with Matrix CL on 93% and Beatrix CL for the East/West just behind on 92%.

Newly recommended Crios is highest yielding of the clubroot resistant varieties on 98%, with Cromputer and Crusoe on 97%.

Candidate varieties

Data can only be shown for candidate varieties that have been added to the GB and NI Variety List (VL).

The highest‑yielding hybrid candidate in is RGT Eros on 107% in fungicide-treated trials and 108% in fungicide-untreated trials. Montana and Valdez, both from NPZ UK are on 105% in fungicide-treated trials, but with Valdez having a weaker 2026 on 103%. Both varieties are on 105% in fungicide-untreated trials.  KWS Volcanos is on 102% but has performed poorly in 2026 on 99% in fungicide-treated trials with Daymon on 101% in fungicide-treated trials.  

The conventional candidate Ocean is on 97% in fungicide-treated trials and 100% in fungicide-untreated trials.  

Two clubroot-resistant candidates, Crown from NPZ UK and Crombach from DSV are closely matched on 102% in fungicide-treated trials, well ahead of the current clubroot resistant varieties. Crombach is on 104% in fungicide-untreated trials, with Crown on 102%, again well ahead of the current clubroot resistant varieties. Crafter, also clubroot resistant is just behind on 101% in fungicide-treated trials and has done very well in 2026 on 103% and is on 103% in fungicide-untreated trials. KWS Kremos, also clubroot resistant is on 90% in fungicide-treated trials and 95% in fungicide-untreated trials.

Further information

Access full trial results via the AHDB website: ahdb.org.uk/harvestresults

AHDB Recommended Lists (RL) trials test variety performance under optimum conditions. Care should be taken when making comparisons with commercial yields. Results from individual trial sites should not be used to make conclusions on variety performance. The RL publications are based on information from trials across the UK over several seasons. As more information becomes available from the current harvest, this will contribute to the over-trials averages – which comprise four years for oilseeds and five years for cereals. These averages provide better information for comparison between varieties. Performance variation is not the responsibility of AHDB. Since the focus is to test new varieties, not all RL varieties are presented. Yields for well-established varieties are published at ahdb.org.uk/rl