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P ROMOTI O N AL A R T I C L E
Soya Beans
as an alternative crop
THE BENEFITS OF PLANTING SOYA
BEANS AS AN ALTERNATIVE CROP
JONATHAN TAYLOR
G
lycine max, more com-
monly known as soybean
or soya bean, is a legume species
that is native to East Asia. It is
known for its use in both human
and animal food production. The
crop is considered one of the five
oldest cultivated crops and was
utilised by the Chinese as a source
of food even prior to 2500 BC.
However, it was only discovered
by the western world as a source
of oil and protein in the 19th cen-
tury. The first report of soya beans
in South Africa is believed to be
in the Cedara Memoirs of 1903.
Internationally it has caught a lot
of attention for its high protein
per hectare content as well as for
the soil health benefits that it has.
But what does this mean for you,
the South African farmer? Should
it be a crop you are considering
this coming season?
Soya beans, like most legumes,
are cultivated in areas that have
an optimal summer temperature
of between 20 - 30°C. They can
grow in a wide range of soils
but flourish in moist rich soils
with good organic content. They
can be grown in both temperate
and tropical regions. 80% of the
world's soya bean production
24
comes from the United States,
Brazil and Argentina. South
Africa, with its similar climatic
conditions and latitude to both
Brazil and Argentina, is a perfect
growth haven for this highly
sought-after crop. Some of the
highest performing varieties locally
have come out of Brazil such as
Capstone Seeds’ Glyphosate toler-
ant soya bean variety - Fundacep
65RR. Fundacep 65RR is a 5.9
maturity soya bean, which makes
it widely adapted and suitable for
most regions in South Africa.
With intensive maize farming
done in South Africa, soya beans
provide the perfect opportunity
to make money while putting
nitrogen back into the ground
by using soya beans as a rotation
crop. Not only do soya beans have
a much lower cost per hectare
when compared to maize, but
they also perform nitrogen fixa-
tion by establishing a symbiotic
relationship with the bacterium
Bradyrhizobium japonicum. The
bacteria fix nitrogen after becom-
ing established inside the root
nodules of the legumes.
The nitrogen is taken
from the earth’s
atmosphere and
converted into
ammonia (NH3)
or other mole-
AUG/SEP 2017 • SENWES Scenario
cules that can then be accessed by
plant organisms.
South Africa has recently
made significant investments in
the domestic soya bean crushing
capacity. These investments have
led to a crushing capacity of
approximately 2,2 million tons
and above. This investment was
aimed at stimulating the domestic
soya bean production and has
worked. The soya bean production
in South Africa reached 1 million
tons in the 2015/2016 marketing
season. There is still vast room
for growth, however, as the total
soya bean production is only a
third of the country’s crushing
capability. According to Grain SA,
South Africa’s soya bean oilcake
requirements for the 2015/2016
year were 1,5 million tons, 55%
of which had to be imported.
The average price per ton of soya
beans has risen from R4 500 to
R5 000 over the last 5 years. With
the varieties like Fundacep 65RR
getting 2.5 – 3mt/ha in a good
season.
Soya bean production defi-
nitely needs to be on the radar of
every South African farmer this
season.