Crop production in KwaZulu-Natal/Annotated Bibliography/Soyabean

DAFF, 2010. Soya beans: Production guideline. Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa. Pretoria.
This 24-page guideline deals with soya bean (soybean) production in South Africa. Production information includes details on cultivars, climatic and soil requirements, land preparation, planting dates, plant spacing and population, fertilization, irrigation, weed, pest anf disease management and harvesting. There are also sections covering post-harvest handling and utilisation.

Dlamini, T.S., Tshabalala, P. and Mutengwa, T., 2014. Soybeans production in South Africa. OCL-Oilseeds and Fats, Crops and Lipids, 21(2).
This paper includes discussion of the importance of soya beans and their value chain in South Africa. Aspects included are soya bean utilization, present production and future possibilities.
Abstract – Soybeans are a small but important and growing component of South Africa’s agricultural economy. Large-scale production of soybeans did not begin until the late 1990s in South Africa, and area planted to soybeans has expanded rapidly. Rising yields supported by a favourable agricultural policy environment backing the commercialisation and use of agricultural biotechnologies, has facilitated a smooth transition of commercial farmers from the production of traditional grains to soybean production and to be able to rotate soybeans with other grain crops to maximise profits. Although soybeans are produced in nearly all the 9 provinces in South Africa, there is significant variation in output from one province to the other. Using data from the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), this paper examines the production efficiency of each province with respect to area under production, output and yield per hectare for the past 25 years. Despite the potential of the former homelands in soybean production, there is little progress owing to infrastructural problems and unfamiliarity with the crop. In order to improve production and consumption of soybeans in these areas of South Africa, it may help to set up soybean out-grower schemes, which will encourage smallholder farmers to pool their output and earn income from soybeans whilst learning the food value of the crop.

Khojely, D.M., Ibrahim, S.E., Sapey, E. and Han, T., 2018. History, current status, and prospects of soybean production and research in sub-Saharan Africa. The Crop Journal, 6(3), pp.226-235. DOIPDF
Abstract: Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a non-native and non-staple crop in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with potential to be a commercial crop owing to its wide range of uses as food, feed, and industrial raw material. Soybean was first introduced to SSA by Chinese traders in the 19th century and was cultivated as an economic crop as early as 1903 in South Africa. In the past four decades, soybean cultivation area and production in SSA has increased exponentially, from about 20,000 ha and 13,000 t in the early 1970s to 1,500,000 ha and 2,300,000 t in 2016. Soybean yield has been stagnant in SSA for decades at about 1.1 t ha−1, much lower than the world average, representing one of the most challenging issues in the soybean industry in SSA. The low soybean yield in SSA can be attributed to the use of poor-performing varieties and to the limited application of fertilizers and rhizobial inoculants in soils with no history of soybean production. South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia, and Uganda are the leading soybean producers in SSA. Soybean research in SSA is conducted by international and national research institutions, including IITA, national soybean improvement programs, universities, and the private sector. Between 1970 and 2011, 195 soybean varieties were released by IITA, private breeders, and national soybean improvement programs in SSA. This paper reviews the history and current state of soybean production and of the utilization and adoption of tropical varieties in SSA, addresses the major soybean yield-limiting factors across the region, and discusses the potential of the soybean industry in SSA. It also highlights soybean improvement efforts and lessons learned from previous soybean improvement efforts and the current progress of some national soybean improvement programs in SSA. Opportunities for scaling up tropical soybean as a major crop across SSA countries are promising.

Protein Research Foundation. 2020. Crop protection chemicals registered for use on soybeans. PDF
A list of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and other crop protection chemicals registered in South Africa for use on soyabeans.

Van Wyk, Wessel. 2020. Soybean cultivation in South Africa. (Video)
A video created to assist soybean producers; covers choice of cultivars, seedbed preparation, planting dates, plant structure, inoculation, fertilisation, foliar feeding, weed control, insects, and harvesting.