Cereal growers have been urged to take advantage of this year’s early harvest by putting winter oilseed rape into the rotation.

Tim O’Donovan of Seedtech said the early harvest this year has provided growers with an ideal opportunity to sow winter oilseed rape.

The best-performing winter grain crops - the primary driver of tillage sector profits - have consistently been those planted on ground that was sown to a break crop such as oilseed rape, O’Donovan argued.

“The fact that fields have been cleared of straw so quickly means there is a great opportunity to get oilseed rape into the ground,” he said.

Teagasc figures put the average margin from oilseed rape at €280/ac, compared to €400/ac for winter wheat and €310/ac for winter barley.

However, the Seedtech official claimed that the “true benefit of rape” needed to include the increased yield from subsequent grain crops, which he said averaged €100/acre.

“How many 4.5t/ac crops of wheat follow wheat or barley?” O’Donovan asked.

Improved nitrogen usage as a consequence of planting oilseed rape and alternative herbicides requirements delivered a further €60/acre, he maintained.

Around 10,000ha of oilseed rape are planted each year, but O’Donovan said this figure should be increased to at least 15,000ha to help maximise profits from winter grain crops.