The systematic cultivation of rapeseed (Brassica napus), a bright-yellow flowering member of the mustard family. This crop is grown extensively for its oil-rich seed, which is processed into vegetable oil, biodiesel, and high-protein animal feed. The practice requires specific crop rotation strategies to manage soil-borne diseases like clubroot.
Our rape culture has improved since we introduced a four-year rotation with winter wheat and barley.
Because of the unfortunate overlap with sociological terminology, many agronomists prefer the terms canola farming or rapeseed cultivation.
Also heard as
- rapeseed cultivation
Related terms
Crop rotation
The practice of planting different types of crops sequentially on the same plot of land.
Cash crop
An agricultural crop grown specifically to be sold for profit rather than for the farmer's own use.
Fallow crop
A crop grown on land that is otherwise resting, typically to suppress weeds or improve soil structure before being ploughed under.