Advance

Advance is a conventional winter oilseed rape, British bred by Mike Pickford, an independent plant breeder based in the heart of the Cotswolds.
 
Establishment and Vigour 

Advance has good autumn establishment and vigour but equally importantly Advance is fast to grow away in the spring. 
It also has a very prostrate growth habit, producing large plants with good ground cover in the autumn, which could assist with weed suppression.
 

Earliness of Ripening 

Advance is significantly earlier to ripen than some of the leading commercial varieties. Excalibur is typically seen as the grower’s benchmark for earliness and Advance is equally as early and, with its significantly higher output, represents an “Advance” in plant breeding. 
Being earlier to ripen, the inclusion of Advance in a grower’s portfolio helps to extend the harvest period, reducing risk and allowing more flexibility for autumn cultivations.

Harvest Index 

The high gross output of Advance is produced by the variety having one of the highest harvest indices, this is derived from the very high output to low biomass ratio. Advance is a short, compact plant type with many branches and, at 132cm, is 6cm shorter than Excalibur. 
 

Oil Content 

Advance has extreamly high oil content and therefore should produce one of the highest oil premiums.