AgResearch has become the first organisation outside of Europe to win the prestigious National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) Variety Cup for its new generation white clover, Crusader.

AgResearch legume improvement team leader, Dr Derek Woodfield, accepted the award at a ceremony in Somerset, England last night (Wednesday 10 May). He said he took particular pride in the fact it was also the first time a clover variety had won the award.

The NIAB Variety Cup is an annual award made to an agricultural crop – ranging from vegetables and cereals to industrial crops and pastures – which has set new high standards for production through improved quality, disease resistance, grower return or other important agronomic characteristics.

 “It is the culmination of 15 years hard work. The satisfaction is not just in winning the award, but seeing it taken up and used in the farming systems it was bred for,” Dr Woodfield said.

White clover is a vital component in dairy production and also provides a natural source of nitrogen.

The development of Crusader white clover first started in 1991 when AgResearch began a partnership with European seed company, Barenbrug, and Midlands Seed in Ashburton.

 “The partnership with Barenbrug and Midlands has allowed us to utilise the best genetic sources from our international breeding efforts to develop a new generation white clover.

 “The award is usually won by one of the major crop varieties – but Crusader is a stunning variety which has out-yielded anything the judges have seen before. Crusader is 30 per cent better than any white clover seen in the UK before,” Dr Woodfield said.

“We see Crusader as the benchmark for future varieties that will be delivered from this breeding programme.”

Dr Woodfield said one of the main differences between Crusader white clover and other varieties was that it matches grass growth better and competes against grasses it grows with, even early and late in the season. It combines hybrid vigour from Southern European and Middle Eastern parents.

He said while Crusader was trialled and tested for its performance in European conditions, the winning variety was also performing “exceptionally well” under grazing in New Zealand.

According to NIAB forage specialist, Steven Bentley, Crusader is an exceptional medium leafed clover that has outperformed not only other varieties in its class but is also on a par with the larger leaf varieties in its high output over a long growing season.

AgResearch Chief Executive, Dr Andrew West, praised the work of Dr Woodfield and his team, saying the award was not only personal recognition for the scientists who had worked hard to develop Crusader, but also showed again that AgResearch was constantly working to provide productivity benefits for farmers.

“This is a fantastic achievement. It shows that here in New Zealand our scientists are making a significant contribution to the agricultural sector – still our country’s largest export earner.

“White clover seed production for export is absolutely fundamental to the profitability of New Zealand arable farming.

“AgResearch’s main aim is to conduct science that continues to help farming systems evolve, which provides greater return for our farmers and the wider economy,” he said.

The NIAB Variety Cup was donated in 1985 by Mr Peter Cundy, a farmer from Devon and a past Chairman of NIAB Council.

Companies pay to have their varieties put through the NIAB field trials, which see each variety compared in multiple locations throughout the UK.

The AgResearch team included Dr Woodfield, Dr John Caradus, John Ford and now retired Peter Clifford. They were supported by Dr David Johnston, a breeder with the Department of Agriculture in Ireland.

Previous winners of the NIAB Variety Cup

1986 - White Rock autumn cauliflower
1993 - Hereward winter wheat
1988 - Mercia winter wheat
1995 - Fianna potato
1990 - Libravo winter oilseed rape
1997 - Maverick spring cauliflower
1992 - Saxon sugar beet
2003 - Aberdart perennial ryegrass
2004 - Roberta sugar beet
2005 – Spartacus forage maize