Andrew Hartley has joined seed breeders DSV UK as arable technical manager to further develop the company’s field trials programme and provide greater support for customers across a growing portfolio of combinable crops.
Formerly with NIAB TAG and more lately Frontier Agriculture, Andrew brings over 30 years of in-depth knowledge to the company at a time when its wheat breeding programme is taking off alongside its well established catalogue of hybrid oilseed rape varieties.
“It’s a very exciting time to be joining DSV,” he says.
“The company is obviously well known for its high performance oilseed rape varieties, but its UK-bred Group 4 wheat DSV Champion topping the 2022/23 AHDB Recommended List underlines its ongoing commitment to breeding world class cereal varieties, as well.
“The role will involve working closely with the UK breeding team at DSV Wardington, Oxfordshire, but I’ll also be involved in setting up trials and demonstration sites across the country as well as helping growers get the most out of their varietal choices.”
As well as DSV Champion being the highest yielding wheat on the current RL, DSV Theodore is recognised as the UK’s cleanest wheat due to its outstanding disease resistance and the company also has the highest yielding Clearfield OSR variety DSV Matrix CL on the current RL
DSV Dart, Dazzler and Darling are also high output RL-listed OSR varieties sitting alongside the high yielding clubroot-protected variety DSV Crocodile.
“Our aim is to develop varieties that have high yield at their heart but also feature a growing range of essential traits to help growers get the most out of conventional production systems as well as more regenerative approaches,” Andrew explains.
“There is a very strong pipeline of DSV varieties now delivering complex genetics such as triple-layered and quad-layered oilseed rapes as well as high performing wheats with unique combinations of disease resistance traits.
“There are going to be some very exciting years ahead for DSV and I am delighted to have the opportunity to play a part in these.”
