Lidea accelerates its production schedule and confirms its genetic breakthrough across Europe

Lescar, 1 June 2026 – Lidea is kicking off its rapeseed seed harvests earlier than ever this year, in south-west France and across Europe. Buoyed by the success of its new genetics launched in 2023, Lidea reaffirms its ambition to become the go-to choice for European farmers and distributors in the face of climate and agronomic challenges.

“With current weather conditions accelerating crop maturity, the season is set to be earlier this year. The first rapeseed seed harvests will begin in the very first days of June in south-west France, before spreading across Europe and concluding at the end of June in Ukraine. That’s about ten days ahead of our usual schedule,” said Nicolas Mugain, Rapeseed Production Manager at Lidea.

This responsiveness ensures optimal seed availability for distributors and farmers, enabling them to prepare for the next cropping season under the best possible conditions.

Agriculture is facing major challenges linked to climate change, complex regulations and highly volatile markets. Today, rapeseed must withstand drought at both the beginning and end of the crop cycle, cope with insect pressure in autumn, and improve nitrogen-use efficiency. A decade ago, these demands were far less pressing. 

Lidea’s new genetic line has been designed to meet today’s challenges. Resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses has been strengthened and genetic potential has been enhanced.

Lidea is proud to offer new opportunities to farmers and to support them in building a sustainable and profitable future that meets society’s expectations.
 

Since 2023, the introduction of Lidea’s new genetic line has marked a turning point. Year after year, Lidea has been gaining market share thanks to high-performing hybrid varieties, designed to combine high yields with adaptation to environmental constraints.

“In an uncertain context, rapeseed remains a profit-generating crop for farmers. That’s why, despite pressure from biotic and abiotic stresses, the area under cultivation continues to increase by around 4% compared to the previous year’s harvest. We are even seeing record levels in some countries such as Romania (1.1 million hectares), where spring crops suffered severely last year from the summer heatwaves. This year, our outlook is decidedly optimistic across Europe,” said Pierre Charon, Rapeseed Market Manager.

These performances are now being validated on a large scale, with Lidea varieties setting new benchmarks in official trial networks across Europe. Building on this momentum, Lidea is positioning itself more than ever as the key partner in crop rotation, offering high-potential varieties to secure and maximise yields.

Lidea’s success crosses borders and is exemplified by its flagship variety, LID INVICTO. Validated by Europe’s most rigorous trial networks, it is showing exceptional growth momentum and establishing itself as a reliable performer at harvest:

• Germany: Demonstrating its strength and competitiveness in one of Europe’s most demanding markets, LID INVICTO achieved an outstanding score of 110% in BSA trials. This performance has earned it entry into the highly selective German official LSV network, which admits only elite registered varieties. A true testament to the work of Lidea’s research teams.

• France: Ranked first ever at official registration with a record score of 111.1% in CTPS trials*, confirmed by an excellent result of 103.7% in the Terres Inovia trial network in 2024.

• Poland: An exceptional score of 112.4% in COBORU post-registration trials in 2025, with an average yield of 51 qx/ha and a Top 2 ranking in the official PDO network.

• Czech Republic: Its first-place ranking for two consecutive years enabled official registration in just two years, instead of three – a rare occurrence in this network over the past decade.

• Ukraine: Rapid adoption driven by its high oil content, guaranteeing excellent economic returns that are highly sought after by both farmers and agricultural holdings.

LID INVICTO’s inclusion in the official European networks marks a new strategic milestone. It confirms the quality, performance and robustness of Lidea’s new rapeseed genetics on a European scale.
 

This is the standout achievement of this crop season: LID BESSITO has become the most widely sown rapeseed variety in France**. This unprecedented success reflects the trust placed in Lidea by farmers and distributors, and their recognition of Lidea’s genetics in the field.

The new early hybrid LID BENTO secured first place in the 2026 registration thanks to its high potential – an achievement that above all illustrates the strength of Lidea’s Research & Development. Lidea now ranks among the seed companies with the highest number of varieties in the Top 10 of Poland’s highly demanding COBORU network. This performance validates Lidea’s strategy of local selection and evaluation: our research station in Poznań enables the early identification of varieties with the best cold tolerance. Located at the heart of the main rapeseed production areas, our development network allows us to ensure that varieties brought to market are rigorously adapted to the realities and needs of farmers.
 

By strengthening the resistance of its varieties to biotic and abiotic stresses while maximising genetic potential, Lidea demonstrates its ability to support distributors and farmers on the path towards a sustainable and profitable future, fully aligned with societal expectations.

The 2026 season is underway, and the ambition is clear: to make every rapeseed field a shared success.