During Pioneer Agronomy Day held earlier this month in Bethal, Mpumalanga, the company showcased trials conducted on Dewald Te Water’s farm.
Te Water noted that although the environmental conditions during planting were not ideal, the crop had held firm, and the yields exceeded his expectations. Therefore, he requested that canola trials be expanded in the northern parts of the country, as it appeared to be a viable rotation crop.
Rikus Schoeman, canola consultant at Pioneer Seed South Africa, noted that trials were being conducted in the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, and Limpopo.
“We know canola works in these parts of the country, and the trials have performed very well. Going forward, we will be expanding the trials to fine-tune production practices, especially to determine the optimal sowing date,” he explained.
Jaco Snyman, business manager at Pioneer South Africa, confirmed that interest among farmers in the north in planting canola is increasing. The company has already seen strong success in the Western Cape, where its share of the canola seed market jumped to 45% over the last year.
Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly about the opportunities for expanding canola production northwards, Corné Louw, Grain SA’s head of applied economics and member services, said irrigation farmers, in particular, would benefit.
“Canola is a winter crop that likes cold units, but it also needs late winter rain, which is why it is more viable for irrigation farmers in the summer rainfall region,” he explained.
“Since canola uses 70% less water than wheat, it provides an added advantage to irrigation farmers planting a winter crop. It also has a shorter growing season than wheat, which is beneficial if you are double cropping.”
Louw said Western Cape farmers had honed their canola production skills over many years and that farmers in the north needed to do the same.
He advised them to expand canola plantings gradually, first coming to grips with best practices to optimise yields before expanding over large areas.
