Crambe
Crambe (Crambe abysinnica), also known as Abyssinian mustard, has been grown in the UK since 2001, with an annual increase in production since.
It is an industrial oilseed that contains high levels of erucic acid, also produced from High Erucic Acid Rape (HEAR) varieties. Its uses lie mainly with the plastics industry, as a slip agent.
The crop does have several advantages over HEAR:
- Crambe is not a brassica and can therefore be useful as a break crop in arable rotations that include oilseed rape.
- The inputs in Crambe are lower than they are for oilseed rape as pests can be controlled more effectively using cultivation methods.
- The oil contains fewer polyunsaturated fatty acids than HEAR rape oil, which can cause problems when undergoing chemical modification.
- Lodging has never been recorded in crops of Crambe.
- It is more tolerant of late season drought.
Harvest takes place from late July to September, depending on the sowing date. As crop maturity can be uneven due to it’s indeterminate nature, the crop is generally treated (either desiccated or swathed) before being combined.
Crambe is responsive to fertilizer applications and its nutrient requirements are similar to those of a spring sown oilseed rape crop. Yield, oil content and quality are all enhanced by the use of nitrogen. Optimum yields in the UK have been achieved with applications of at least 150kg/ha nitrogen and 75kg/ha phosphate. A single application of nitrogen in the seedbed provides optimum performance, as it is available to the crop at the time of rapid growth. On light soils it may be advisable to split the nitrogen application, applying half to the seedbed or early emergence and half when the crop is 5cm (two inches) tall. For growers using liquid fertilizer, nitrogen should be applied to the crop pre-emergence to avoid the risk of scorch.
Sulfur should be applied if the crop is grown in areas where sulfur may be deficient in oilseed rape crops, or on light soils where sulfur deficiencies are common. The crop may also have a requirement for trace elements, particularly manganese, magnesium and boron, therefore applications should be made where deficiencies are likely.
