Oil seed rape cultivation in Uk

[Finman]

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http://www.ukagriculture.com/crops/oil_seed_rape.cfm

In the UK the oilseed rape crop was barely known until the 1970's when the explosion in commodity prices and targeted support from the CAP raised the price to a sufficiently high level that farmers chose to grow it. Now, around 400,000 hectares of oil seed rape is grown annually, roughly one eighth of the area of wheat and barley. Most of this is autumn sown and known as winter oilseed rape.



Oilseed rape is not a very high yielding crop by comparison with cereals. Typically winter rape yields around 3 tonnes per hectare compared with 8 tonnes per hectare for wheat. However, with a higher price and the "break crop" benefit to the following wheat crop, oilseed rape remains an important crop in the arable rotation and currently the UK is about 90% self sufficient.




Production area oilseed rape
hectares

2000 …..... 402
2001 …..... 451
2002 …..... 432
2003 …..... 542
2004 …..... 558
2005 …..... 593
2006 …..... 575
2007 …..... 681
2008 …..... 598
2009 …..... 581

 

[Finman]

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From USA raports I have learned earlier that rise of rape/canola cultivation is connected to the changes of lifestyle. The production of oil has been followed the consumption of salad dressings and mayonnaise type food stuffs.

 

[Finman]

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Canada is the biggest rape seed producer.
Its yield is about 0,77 ton per acre. It is 1,9 t/hectare.

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Compared to UK yield 3t/ha, UK is good.

In Finland yied is 1.5 t/ha.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Lots of it grown for the production of bio diesel.

 

[RoofTops]

It is also now available as a pure oil as an alternative to olive oil but not a big seller and only a small proportion of the UK crop. For example (other suppliers are available etc. etc..http://www.rapeseedoil.co.uk/?gclid=CJrjmZelqq0CFWIntAodRBTdlg

 

[dpearce4]

I think that tesco bog standard veg oil is rape seed. Like olive oil there are different qualities.

i cant check as i use their sunflower oil.

 

[Finman]

Lots of it grown for the production of bio diesel.

as far as I know, it is too valuable to burn. Palm oil grows 12 months in jungle sunshine but rape only couple of months. In Malaysea those grow up to horizont. Rape cultivation is heavily supported with taxes. Fuel price has state taxes - how much.

Like wikipedia says :"promising fuel" but industry does not say how much it has been used as fuel.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Finman
just about all of it goes for bio diesel from this area,so maybe not such a valuable variety.

Couple of years ago when it was cheaper people were buying from supermarkets to put straight in the fuel tanks,now some even limit the amount they will sell.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

I had an interesting conversation with a local commercial beekeeper earlier in the year concerning Oil Seed Rape, I asked him if he knew any reasons why my bees would ignore some twenty acres of oil seed rape within half a mile of them, they were down wind and the smell in the yard on a sunny day was quite strong, yet all five hive did not touch it, He answered by saying that there was two different types of Rape being grown in the UK, one for Bio Diesel and the other for Vegetable oil, one was a F1 and the other was not, but only one of the two was of interest to the bees, (i can not remember which way round he said it was) or was this the dreaded GM crop! has anyone got any info on this, is it correct or not ? Chris

 

[chrismcd]

Just to add some other comments.

The UK oilseed rape crop is another artifact of the EU.

Previously we used to import lots of palm oil, but the EU tariffs and subsidies meant that UK farmers could make a profit on rape oil (remember it was a major French crop/fiddle before tougher strains were bred that could deal with the UK winters and even further north).

Small acreages of rape has always been grown in the UK because it's oil is temperature stable - it was used to lubricate jet engines - and steam engines before that! However the original, hardy varieties were full of erucic acid and glucosinolates - which made them so toxic that the oil had to be processed before it was safe to eat (pigeons much prefer the new varieties!).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oilseed_rape

But, temperature stability meant that it was ideal for magarines that you could store in the fridge and then spread on your bread!

So, there came about the massive breeding programmes to produce the "double zero" varieties we know and love!

I was working on trial crops of rape in the 70's. It was 7" tall and stank - but is was a magnet for bees. I have a feeling that the new, stumpy, double zero strains are not so attractive - but the bees obviously still like the crop and the honey tastes a lot better than I remember it.

And yes you can make biodiesel out of it, and brave souls can pour it straight into their tank, but the glycerine in untreated oils cokes up the injectors of modern diesels, but not ancient landrovers - or so I am told!

Always glad to add to the knowledge of the forum

 

[chrismcd]

He answered by saying that there was two different types of Rape being grown in the UK, one for Bio Diesel and the other for Vegetable oil, one was a F1 and the other was not, but only one of the two was of interest to the bees, (i can not remember which way round he said it was) or was this the dreaded GM crop! has anyone got any info on this, is it correct or not ? Chris

I can make some semi-educated guesses.

AFAIK The old, toxic varieties yielded much better than the new, double zero (ie vegetable oil) strains. So I would guess that anyone growing for biodiesel would go for yield and therefore grow old varieties.

F1 means "first filial". It is a plant breeders term for a strain that is a hybrid of two proprietary strains. These are grown in isolation until the final stage, when they are grown together in order to cross pollinate and produce a crop of seeds chock full of hybrid vigour.

The technique is fiddly, protected by "Plant Breeders Rights" but results in crops that give outstanding yields - and are highly profitable to both famers and plant breeders. My bet would be that the F1 crop was the vegetable oil one, but I gather there are some new biodiesel strains being developed as well.

In Oilseed Rape terms, GM usually means Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" strains that AFAIK are still not grown in the UK - unless someone knows better?

Monsanto have been busy suing Canadian farmers - see the bottom of the Wikipedia article - so I would have thought we would have heard if they were up to their machinations in the UK

 

[Nic Rhodes]

strains of OSR near me in the last few years yielded nothing

 

[chrismcd]

strains of OSR near me in the last few years yielded nothing

Yes, I have heard similar comments.

If it is true that OSR is mainly wind pollinated, then varieties could be bred with low levels of nectar that would never be noticed, or be of concern to the plant breeders.

In fact, it could be that a strain that was using it's energy to produce seed rather than nectar would give a higher yield!

I suppose the real question is why the old varieties were so generous with nectar in the first place if they really were wind pollinated!

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Thanks Chrismcd, that sounds about right, i do remember him using the term "old variety" as well as F1, so what you have said makes sense, still it was a shame not to get a crop off all that rape. Chris

 

[Jimmy]

I think they are self-pollinated rather than wind-pollinated with insect pollination helping to raise the % of pods with the full complement of seeds.

Thread diversion - there's a 4 page spread in Farmers Weekly this week about GM crops globally that looked at brief glance to be well informed and researched.

 

[Finman]

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I have harvested rape about 35 years. What I have learned is that don't play only with rape card.

When it is windy and temp is over 25C, rape starts to hang its leaves. It suffers from wilting. Bees do not visit then in flowers.

If the soil is dry or it is easy to become dry, rape gives nothing.it blooms only couple of days.
Some years ago I had 3 hives on 50 hectare rape area. I got only 30 kg per hive honey.

If weather is misty, nectar is so light that hive gets no surplus if it must fly over 2 km to rape field.

I have much rape fields here. I must choose carefully from where i am going to get yield.
I have been in hard school in that.

The smallest seed contract is 6 hectares. I put 2-3 hives on that size area. There must be other yield plants too. One rape field blooms only 2 weeks.

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[Finman]

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Some farmers press their own oil here and use it in diesel tractor. Hobby or not, I do not know.

 

[Finman]

In Oilseed Rape terms, GM usually means Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" strains that AFAIK are still not grown in the UK - unless someone knows better?

farmers here havea new tecnique to grow rape. When weeds come up in May, they handle the fields first with Roundup. Then they sow the rape 3 weeks later.

 

[chrismcd]

farmers here havea new tecnique to grow rape. When weeds come up in May, they handle the fields first with Roundup. Then they sow the rape 3 weeks later.

Hi Finman,

That is not quite a new technique - it is what we know as a "stale seedbed". You encourage all the weeds to germinate, kill them somehow and then plant your crop. Used to be done with paraquat or shallow tilling.

Monsanto have gone one step further and bred varieties of OSR that can detoxify Roundup if it is sprayed onto them.

So farmers can now wait before spraying until well after the rape has germinated and started to grow - so that they can be sure that all the weeds have emerged as well. They then spray Roundup on the emerged crop and weeds.

The rape is untouched, but all the weeds are killed. The rape is then able to get well established and can out-compete any weeds that do try and germinate later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_Ready#Genetically_modified_crops

It works very well but somehow I cannot say I like the idea.

 

[Finman]

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Here is one autumn rape field in nice condition, but the soil is covered by green weeds. I think that in this case GMO rape would be a fine choice.