SeedRanch Buckbuster (Athena) Rape Seed - 50 Lbs.

SeedRanch Buckbuster Rape Seed (Athena Rape Food Plot Seed) is a forage rape variety widely used for deer food plots. Athena produces a leafy, high-protein brassica that deer find extremely palatable and is among the easiest crops to establish. It performs well on soils with a pH of 5.5 and up and prefers well-drained sites—avoid areas with standing water or persistent wetness. Seeding and fertility: Plant 6 to 8 lbs. per acre on a well-tilled seedbed, covering seed 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Fertilize and lime according to soil test recommendations. Brassicas respond well to Nitrogen—apply a second dose in mid-season to improve forage quality. Athena Rape Seed is planted at a rate of 5 to 10 lbs per acre. Varietal and agronomic notes: Athena is a near-homozygous winter rapeseed cultivar with canola-quality seed oil and seed meal, bred for strong adaptability in both dryland and irrigated areas of the inland Pacific Northwest. After fall seeding, Athena emerges quickly and often establishes a superior fall stand compared to common checks, especially when direct-seeded late into straw stubble. Trial performance: Athena was evaluated in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon over six growing seasons (1996 to 1997 through 2001 to 2002), including Pacific Northwest Winter Canola Variety Trials during the 1998 to 1999 through 2001 to 2002 seasons. Trials used bulked seed from Breeders Seed increases and compared Athena to the commercial cultivars Ericka, Ceres, Cascade, and Olsen. On average (56 evaluation trials), Athena produced significantly higher seed yield than any check cultivar, was the highest-yielding entry in five of the six years tested and second highest in the other year, and showed particular advantage when planted later or direct-seeded into cereal stubble. Growth characteristics: Athena flowers later than Ericka (average Day of Year 131 versus DOY 128 for Ericka) and has a plant height of 144 cm, significantly taller than Ericka but similar to Ceres and Olsen. It has intermediate maturity (later than Ericka or Cascade, not significantly different from Olsen or Ceres), a determinate growth habit that dries down evenly at maturity to reduce seed shatter, and good resistance to lodging (significantly less likely to lodge than Olsen). Seed characteristics: dark brown, medium to large size.