#Photo crop challenge plus#

One limitation has been soil pH, but modern varieties are more tolerant. Whites are typically combined in early to mid-September, while blues are cut in late August. Therefore, whites are preferred, but in Lincolnshire and Staffordshire, he advises switching to blues as they are earlier to mature, especially as growers no longer have the desiccant diquat. “On a good day they will touch 5t/ha.”īlue types have a lower protein of 32%, 4-6% oil and yield 2.5-3.5t/ha. White lupins are the highest performers, with 38-40% protein, 10% oil and yields of 3-4t/ha.

Yields of yellow types are just not good enough, so that leaves blues and whites. So what could a UK industry look like? Mr McNaughton believes it would be a mix of blue and white, according to geography.īlue, white and yellow lupins are actually different species in the same way that wheat, barley and oats are different cereals, he explains. So if a compounder gets on board, with buyers Mr McNaughton sees the crop expanding to tens of thousands of acres. “They need rocket fuel and both soya and lupins are that.” Both lupins and soya have good levels of sulphur-containing amino acids, important in high-performance pig and poultry diets and with high-yielding dairy cows. One key factor in lupins’ favour is its high quality, says Mr McNaughton. But that may be about to change with Frontier and ABN conducting feasibility studies into white lupins (see panel) as a livestock feed. The other hurdle is the absence of a market, with a lack of take up by feed compounders.

#Photo crop challenge plus#

“We have pre-emergences plus a reasonable post-emergence, so the crop is now on a par with peas.” There is also a post-emergence option in Lentagran (pyridate).

These are Nirvana (imazamox + pendimethalin), Stomp (pendimethalin) and Gamit (clomazone). So why hasn’t the spring crop already taken off? Mr McNaughton says there are two key reasons why the area has remained static.įirst is weed control, which until recently has proven to be a headache with the absence of legal chemistry.īut over the past three to four years, the situation has improved with Extensions of Authorisation for Minor Use for three pre-emergence herbicides. “So it’s not a case of someone with a couple of fields, it is already an established crop that could easily be expanded, as we have the knowledge to grow it.” Hurdles to growing it “It has been grown since 1996, with about 600-1,200ha grown each year. However, as David McNaughton, director at Soya UK points out, it is not a new crop. See also: Two growers reveal their soil health improvement tips The seed is a high-quality protein that could replace a chunk of the imported soya used in livestock rations, being a sustainable UK-grown alternative. Lupins could soon feature in arable rotations across parts of the UK, offering farmers a true break crop with potentially high margins along with valuable soil-improving benefits.