With market demand high and profitable contracts available, could linseed be the answer to spring crop uncertainty?
Boston Seeds commercial director, Jack Holgate, believes linseed offers a combination of low input requirements and strong market opportunities. “With pressure on profit margins, tighter rotations and a growing focus on improving soil health, spring linseed continues to prove itself as a valuable and increasingly relevant break crop for UK arable systems.”
He adds that with a seed yield of 109% to controls, Bingo (Elsoms Seeds/Van de Bilt), remains at the top of the latest Descriptive List (DL). “A popular and well-established variety with robust agronomics, Bingo has consistently delivered high yields across a range of soil types and at Boston Seeds, we’ve sold the variety successfully for many years.
“It’s maturity and stiff straw help reduce harvest risk, while its disease resistance and good standing power make it a practical, straightforward variety to manage. That reliability is crucial when spring drilling windows are tight and with weather patterns becoming increasingly unpredictable.”
Rotational benefits
According to Jack, beyond headline figures, the wider rotational benefits offered by spring linseed are just as important. “As a true break crop, it helps disrupt cereal and oilseed rape pests and disease cycles, providing a useful tool for weed management. Its rooting structure is unrivalled, offering significant benefits to soil condition, improving soil structure and making it a great entry for a first wheat.
“Another key to the renewed interest in spring linseed has been the arrival of new, competitive varieties. With a seed yield of 108% to controls, Balance (Elsoms/Van de Bilt), is a new entrant to the DL sitting just behind Bingo as the second highest yielding variety.
“This year, the main focus will be on multiplying seed for Balance, and the expectation is that it should be in a strong position on seed availability for spring 2027.”
Spring contracts
Jack points out that overall demand for UK spring linseed is still positive, with spring contracts for Harvest 2026 on offer at £550-£600/t. “But, seed stocks are shaping up to be tight this spring, so any growers planning to include the crop in their 2026 rotatio, should secure seed orders as soon as possible.”
Elsoms Seeds’ breeder, Panida Wadsworth, has been monitoring the performance of Balance across both AHDB and independent commercial trials for the past 4 years. “We first trialled Balance in 2022 and from the outset it looked special, topping both the UK independent pre-commercial trials as well as parallel linseed trials conducted in Europe that year.
“Through 2022-2025, it’s shown high levels of consistency and has matched the DL’s highest yielding variety Bingo on most of the key metrics including plant height, seed quality and annual seed yield.”
Maturity
Panida says despite being awarded the same maturity rating on official trials figures, Balance has consistently matured later than Bingo, enabling it to be potentially drilled a few days earlier if soil temperatures permit. “This gives Balance a wider growing window allowing the plant more time to accumulate biomass and take advantage of an extended seed filling phase.
“It’s also worth noting that Balance has one of the highest Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) percentages on the current DL and, with increased demand for Omega 3 in animal feeds, this key trait can only help strengthen its future marketability.
“I can certainly see Balance as the preferred partner to Bingo. Both varieties are high yielding and can be grown in the same rotation, with Balance being drilled a few days earlier as long as conditions permit. This allows growers to spread their varietal risk and gain the advantages of its wider growing window,” she concludes.
