Crambe hispanica abyssinica

Cultivation Details

Crambe hispanica abyssinica can be cultivated as a spring-sown crop in the temperate zone and also succeeds right through to the tropics, where it can be grown at elevations from sea level up to 2,500 metres^[1]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 25°c, but can tolerate 10 - 35°c^[1]. Seedlings can survive temperatures down to -4 or even -6°c for short periods, but at all later stages of growth -1°c may kill the plant^[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 800 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 700 - 2,500mm^[1]. Requires a sunny position^[1]. The plant does best on medium-light to heavy soils that are fertile and well drained, though poor sandy soils may be used if nutrients are provided^[2]. Moderately tolerant of saline soils^[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7.5, tolerating 5 - 8^[1]. Drought stress during flowering or seed set can reduce yields and lower the oil content of the seeds^[4]. However the penetrating tap root can reach depths of over 15cm, enabling the plant to be relatively drought resistant later in the season^[1]. Plants take from 83 - 105 days from sowing to harvesting the seed^[4]. The first-formed pods usually remain on the stalks until the last-formed pods mature, making harvesting the seeds easier^[1]. One plant may produce 530 - 1,840 fruits^[1]. Seed yields vary widely, with 1,125 - 1,624 kg/ha being obtained in Russia and 450 - 2,522 kg/ha in the United States^[1]. In irrigated fields, with additional nitrogen, yields up to 5 tonnes/ha have been attained^[1]. Test plantings in Russia, under a wide variety of ecological conditions, gave oil contents of 25 - 33% for the seed with hulls (dehulled seeds reached 54%)^[1]. The plant fares poorly where weeds are a problem^[4]. Newer cultivars have more tolerance to lower temperatures, with some varieties in Britain having tolerated a few hours with temperatures slightly below freezing without harmful effects upon overall yields^[4].