Where soy came from
The Soybean - Glycine max - has been used in China for 5 000 years in crop rotation, as a food and in medicines. It is an annual legume of the Fabaceae family and is thought to have derived from Glycine nosuriensis, a legume indigenous to the Manchurian region of China, not far from the Korean border. Legumes are plants producing edible seedpods that can be picked by hand.

Economically, the soybean is the most important legume in the world, providing good quality vegetable protein for millions of people and animals, and ingredients for numerous products. In the late 20th Century and into the present, soybeans have played an important part in helping to alleviate world hunger.

A phenomenal growth in production
The Western world only discovered the soybean as a source of oil and protein in the 18th Century, with commercial cultivation starting, for the first time in the United States, in 1804. In the past 30 years, world production has risen to 180 million metric tonnes, in 2001 the United States produced 44%, Brazil 19%, Argentina 17%, and China 9%. The balance of world production of 11% is made up, inter alia, by Europe, India and South Africa.
World soybean production expressed in million metric tonnes.

Soy comes to South Africa
The first record of soybeans in South Africa appears in the Cedara Memoirs of 1903. The beans were imported from China, but did not germinate properly. Soybeans were also planted at the Research Centre in Potchefstroom. In the early Fifties, the Centre produced a well adjusted line and named it 'Geduld' (meaning 'Patience'). From 10 000 tonnes produced in the Seventies, production had risen by 2001 to 190 000 tonnes. Initial soy crops were restricted to the Bapsfontein area and the Northern Lowveld region.

From 3 pods on a plant to 350

The soybean plant is a bushy, summer annual with three-fold leaves which grows to between 60 and 120 centimetres - depending upon the number of plants per area, growing conditions and choice of cultivar. These variations will also control the number of pods per plant which can range from 3 to 350 pods.

The plant may be cultivated in most types of soil but thrives best in warm, fertile, clayish land.

Soybeans ready for harvest.
Depending upon local conditions, soybeans are typically planted in November through December. The plants react to day/night length ratios which stimulate the reproduction process. Planting in January will result in a shorter plant with lower harvest potential, as the days shorten during growth. On ripening, the leaves turn yellow and the moisture content of the seeds drops - from about 65% to 14% within 14 days - given that the weather is dry and hot.

Where is it cultivated?
The average total South African soy crop yield is 190 000 tonnes, soybeans now being grown commercially in the following areas (indicated by main towns in each region). See map at beginning of article.

Click for map.

Amersfoort		Carolina		Koedoeskop		Thabazimbi
Beestekraal		Ermelo		Middelburg		Vrede
Bergville		Frankfort		Morgenson		Vryheid
Bethal		Hendrina		Newcastle		Warden
Brits		Hopetown		Paulpietersburg		Winterton

South African soy and genetic modification (GM)
Currently South Africa produces approximately 190 000 tonnes of commercial soy per annum. Between 60 000-65 000 tonnes are processed for human consumption and the remainder used mainly for animal feed. In December 2001, the Executive Council of Genetically Modified Organisms permitted soybeans to be grown commercially in South Africa from GM seed. This is the first time genetically modified soy crop has been approved (other GM products grown commercially in South Africa are cotton, Bt maize and yellow maize). GM soybeans are resistant to a herbicide which kills most other green plants. The herbicide is widely used to kill weeds which compete with crops for water and nutrients.

The aim of the GMO Act of 1997 which was implemented in December 1999, is to control the import of live genetically modified products. The Act protects the consumer as well as the environment through its well-structured regulations. Although currently no mandatory labelling is required in South Africa for foods containing GMOs, the South African Department of Health is in the process of legislating for labelling of products containing genetically modified ingredients. In addition, the Government is also planning to communicate a better awareness and understanding of biotechnology to the public.

Non-GM soy - a marketing opportunity

A 'non-GM' marketing opportunity exists for South African food processors of non-GM beans to export soy-derived products. Specialised Protein Products, although not against genetic modification in principle, has recognised the opportunity of adhering to non-GM soybean processing on request. Its marketing strategy strongly supports supplying the markets with products they demand, which at the moment are still non-GM, with a growing desirability in Europe of non-GM soy ingredients. At time of writing there is no evidence that genetically modified soy is "bad" for the consumer. However, overseas the whole subject of genetic modification is so emotionally charged that, for the moment, it is influencing the South African market.

As the green soybeans mature they change colour to a golden-brown [click image]

Soy / maize symbiosis
Some farmers are exploiting the fact that both soy and maize can be alternately grown in the same soil as part of the summer crop menu, by using the nitrogenised soil for the maize crop. Soybeans are independent of nitrogen fertiliser because soy is capable of fixing and converting dinitrogen into organic nitrogen in order to supply its own needs. In crop rotation, yields of the maize crop following soybean can be considerable, under the conditions of low nitrogen application to the maize. This is a direct result of nitrogen carry-over from soybeans, as well as other rotational benefits. Long term comparisons indicate that soybean and maize respond differently to weather variables. All summer crops need bountiful water supply during reproduction stages which normally fall between January and March. However, soybeans at certain stages have a higher resistance to drought than maize.

Soybean production potential for South Africa

Cultivation method	Potential tonnage
Double cropping with wheat	460 017
Crop rotation with maize (25%)	981 600
Heavy soils not suitable for maize	1 971 000
Total production potential	3 412 617

Information drawn from:
Soybeans. United Soybean Board, USA
Cedara Memoirs. 1903
Encyclopedia Britannica
Grain Crops Research Institute, Potchefstroom
South African Soy Supply, Newcastle

 

Based on information supplied by the United Soybean Board, USA

 

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