Tall order at Norfolk energy maize trials

Maize specialist John Burgess has been astonished by the performance of the maize trial crops - featured in on page 44 - in testing conditions on a light-land farm near Norwich.

Three varieties bred for energy maize and of different maturities were being tested, said Mr Burgess, of plant breeders KWS.

Some plants at Spring Farm, Taverham, had reached a height of

17 feet and many, most unusually, had also produced cobs as a result of stress caused by the drought.

"We're not looking for cob production, just total volume of fresh material," he added.

Crops should be mature by the middle or end of this month.

"We have not experienced them in the east. I think the further east we come, the crop will mature earlier, which makes it a particularly potential crop for this part of the world.

"And, if you can get it off in the first two weeks of September, it makes it possible to get wheat in decent time," said Mr Burgess.

Farmer Oliver Arnold drilled all three varieties on April 15, including the latest late-maturing hybrid, Atletico, the mid-early Fernandez and the early, Padrino.

Mr Arnold said: "We've got pockets of land where big farmers have vast swathes of land which don't grow good crops and it is a gamble whether they get rain or not.

"This year is a classic; I grew spring barley and the yield is vastly down."

Mr Burgess said the crop of Atletico looked "absolutely fantastic" in July, when it was 10pc green.

"The extra growth is coming from this later maturity, but the yield potential is enormous compared with the standard forage maize variety."

He said that a forage maize such as Tomahawk would yield between 45 and 50 tonnes fresh weight per hectare but Atletico would probably produce 65 to 70 tonnes.

"I think the crops have done well because they've managed to form their yield fast enough.

"In these conditions, we will be quite happy if we get 60 tonnes per hectare - 10 tonnes fresh weight more than Tomahawk," he added.

Mr Burgess also suggested another advantage for arable farmers: removal of problem weeds such as blackgrass or wild oats.

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