How good management aids soya bean health

Plant health is one of the key contributors to high yields and good profits, and soya bean is no exception. Magda du Toit spoke to a number of experts about how to achieve these goals through sound management.

- Magda du Toit

FAST FACTS

Soya bean is a protein crop and, as such, requires considerable quantities of nitrogen.

The planting date greatly influences the yield.

To achieve the best results, the producer must choose the optimal soya bean cultivar or hybrid for his or her production area.

A healthy plant will flower, bear fruit and seeds, and reproduce; an unhealthy plant will always struggle to do so. The secret to successful soya bean production lies in keeping your plants healthy from planting right through to harvesting. To do this, proper planning and good cultivation management are critical to ensuring that you harvest every possible kilogram per hectare.

To achieve this, it’s crucial to visit the lands and scout the plants for diseases and pests, says Andries Wessels, manager of product development at Syngenta.

“Nothing can make up for knowledge. By visiting lands frequently, you can identify problems timeously and address them before they escalate into a disaster.

“In addition, look for the cultivar that’s best suited to your particular area, using multiyear trial data. That’s always a safe choice: [a combination of] your own experience, trial data from your area and trial data supplied by the Agricultural Research Council, companies and study groups will provide useful information to base your choices on.”

ENSURING A GOOD YIELD