Clutha Gold 

Swede

  • Very high-yielding main crop swede
  • New Zealand bred and evaluated
  • Yellow-fleshed bulb with medium maturity
  • Disease tolerance to clubroot, dry rot and powdery mildew
  • Excellent winter keeping qualities
  • Pelleted seed available
Farm Type
  • Days to Grazing From 170 to 250
  • Growing Seasons Spring, Summer
  • Grazing Seasons Autumn, Winter
  • Potential Yield 18,000 kgDM/ha
  • Utilisation 80%

Clutha Gold is the latest swede bred from the Forage Innovations plant breeding joint venture between Plant and Food Research and PGG Wrightson Seeds and has been developed to supersede Aparima Gold swede. Clutha Gold has a significant yield advantage over Aparima Gold while maintaining its disease tolerance to clubroot and dry rot. Clutha Gold also has an additional disease tolerance to the leaf disease, powdery mildew. It can be used for all farm types and is suitable for sheep, cattle and deer grazing.

Flesh colour: Yellow
Number of grazings: 1

Sowing Rate

Conventional sowing or direct drilling 0.8-1.5 kg/ha
Pelleted 90,000 seeds/ha


“Clutha Gold was bred to meet a clear need in the New Zealand swede market for an Aparima Gold replacement. Clutha Gold meets all breeding objectives of Aparima Gold and also offers a significantly higher yield and additional tolerance to the leaf disease powdery mildew. We see great potential for Clutha Gold swede and look forward to seeing it perform on New Zealand farms.”

Andy Dumbleton
Brassica breeder, PGG Wrightson Seeds

PGG Wrightson Seeds Sales Agronomist Brian Young (left) and Farmlands Technical Field Officer Mike Magennity (right) inspecting a crop of pelleted Clutha Gold swede.