•••• PROMOTIONAL ARTICLE
Soya Beans as an alternative crop
24
JONATHAN TAYLOR
Glycine max , more commonly 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 century . 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
THE BENEFITS OF PLANTING SOYA BEANS AS AN ALTERNATIVE CROP
AUG / SEP 2017 • SENWES Scenario
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 tolerant 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 fixation by establishing a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum . The bacteria fix nitrogen after becoming established inside the root nodules of the legumes . The nitrogen is taken from the earth ’ s atmosphere and converted into ammonia ( NH3 ) or other molecules 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 definitely needs to be on the radar of every South African farmer this season .
••••
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
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