Oilseeds: vital for crop rotation

Oilseeds play a dual role on a crop farm, providing a valuable product and a mechanism for enhancing soil health and reducing input costs. Lindi Botha reports on the key considerations to make the best of sunflower, soya bean, and canola crops.

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Crop rotation is a fundamental principle of sustainable crop production. Farmers need to consider a host of factors when deciding on a rotational crop in order to fit the climatic conditions and production requirements.

The oilseeds canola, sunflower and soya bean each have their own benefits. Soya bean is a valuable addition in a maize rotation as it fixes nitrogen in the soil. It also has a lot of value in its own right, since it is processed primarily for protein meal, which is widely used in animal feed rations. As a result, demand for soya bean is driven by a growing need for animal feed as livestock sectors around the world expand.

Sunflower makes a valuable contribution to a farming business since it has low input costs and generally performs well under dry conditions. However, sunflower markets are finely balanced, and when production expands substantially, prices fall to levels that are not sustainable for most producers.

Low prices prompt farmers to reduce their sunflower plantings, which then reduces supply. This then leads to increases in prices, which then fall again if farmers respond by planting more sunflowers. This is an important consideration when making long-term decisions about including sunflower in crop rotations.

The canola industry has shown much promise over the past few years as new technologies and campaigns to boost consumption are bearing fruit.

Canola remains an important rotation crop for wheat farmers, since it helps to keep weeds in the fields under control, reducing herbicide costs and consequently helping to boost yields for wheat.

CULTIVARS

To achieve the highest yield with the lowest risk, producers need to carefully choose cultivars for the respective crops based on climate and production techniques.

Both conventional and genetically modified (GM) soya bean seed are available in South Africa.