Seed Co develops and releases soybean varieties for Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa. For this reason, some varieties maybe released specifically for a given country; for example, SC Sirocco and SC Scribe have been registered as products for the Zambian market only. Some varieties such as SC Solitaire have done well in more than one country and they have been released in those countries. Seed Co’s soybean products are the end result of long term scientific breeding. They are designed to add value to every farming operation where they apply, since they bring with them appropriate immunity, resistance or tolerance to diseases and reliably high yield performance. They are produced, cleaned, graded, treated, packed and delivered for the exacting demands of modern farming.

A description of varieties that are currently in production is given below. A table of the main characteristics of the varieties is given in a table below the general description of the varieties.

SC Saxon (New; Zim)

• Demonstrated impressive yield stability in high potential areas
• Has a decent height & quickly establishes a canopy
• Displayed excellent resistance to pod shattering & lodging
• High pod clearance making it a pleasure to combine harvest
• Tolerant to Rust, Frogeye Leaf Spot
• Recommended for production in regions I, II & III in Zimbabwe

SC Signal (New; Zim)

• Best overall performer in high potential areas
• Exceptional yield stability across sites & seasons
• Produces a high pod count
• This variety boasts of a long reproductive period
• Resistant to Rust, Red Leaf Blotch and Frogeye Leaf Spot
• Could double as a forage variety in high potential areas
• Recommended for production in regions I, II & III in Zimbabwe (500-1000mm rainfall)
• Recommended seed rate per hectare: 70 kg

SC Status (Zimbabwe)

• Early maturing cultivar in the product basket
• First choice for wheat-soybean rotation
• Wide area adaptability; stable performance across all production ecologies
• Excellent stability
• Resistant to Rust, Red Leaf Blotch
• Determinate product
• Recommended for production across all regions

SC Sequel (Zim, Malawi, Rwanda)

• A good team mate to SC Status
• Compact plant type, well suited to narrow row cultivation
• Very good tolerance to Rust, Frogeye Leaf Spot
• Excellent standability
• Adapted to all production regions of Zimbabwe
• Good choice for wheat-soybean rotation
• Recommended for production across all regions

SC Squire (Zim, Malawi, Zam, Rwanda)

• Exhibits high levels of tolerance to Red Leaf Blotch, Rust & Frogeye Leaf Spot
• Boasts region-wide adaptability (registered in Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda)
• Has well balanced agronomic attributes
• Dries down uniformly
• Could double as a forage variety in regions I, II & III of Zimbabwe
• Excellent grain quality
• Matures in about 130 days from the date of planting
• Yields up to 4.5 tonnes under good management
• Recommended for production in regions I, II & III in Zimbabwe

SC Saga (Zim, Kenya, Rwanda)

• Good standability
• Demonstrated very good stable performance in Kenya
• Stable performance in high potential areas
• Good resistance to pod shattering
• Resistant to Soybean Rust
• Recommended for production in regions I, II & III

KEY ATTRIBUTES OF SEED CO SOYBEAN VARIETIES

SC Spike (Zambia)

• Excellent tried and tested variety
• Highly prolific; having yield potential that exceeds 5 t/ha
• Has robust stands that offer excellent standability
• Displayed excellent resistance to pod shattering
• Has a good clearance of the bottom pods
• Tolerant to Bacterial Blight, Downy Mildew & Red Leaf Blotch
• Determinate variety
• Recommended for production in regions middleveld and highveld areas

SC Semeki (Zambia)

• Indeterminate variety with high seed potential
• Yield potential: up to 4 200 kg/ha under good management
• Offers a long pod shatter free period to allow harvesting with little loss of harvest
• Has high resistance to Frogeye Leaf Spot, Wildfire & Downy Mildew
• Has also acceptable level of tolerance to Red Leaf Blotch & Bacterial Blight
• Susceptible to Soybean Rust requiring two or three fungicidal sprayings
• Seed is of medium size, good quality with a yellow hilum colour
• Recommended for production in regions above 900 m.a.s.l.
• Recommended seed rate per hectare:  100kg

SC Serenade (Zimbabwe, Malawi)

• Best overall performer in high potential areas
• Demonstrated impressive yield stability in high potential areas
• Adapted to high plant populations & narrow inter-row spacing
• Excellent standability & resistance to pod shattering
• Fast dry down and dries out uniformly
• High pod clearance making it a pleasure to combine harvest
• Tolerant to Frogeye Leaf Spot And Red Leaf Blotch
• Could double as a forage variety
• Indeterminate variety recommended for production in regions I, II & III in Zimbabwe
• Yield potential – > 5 t/ha under good management

SC Safari (Zimbabwe, Zambia)

• Exceptional yield stability across sites & seasons
• Quick maturing cultivar in our product basket (125 days)
• First choice for wheat/soybean rotation
• Excellent grain quality
• Good pod clearance & high resistance to pod shattering
• Gives low scores for Red Leaf Blotch and Frogeye Leaf Spot
• Indeterminate variety recommended for production in regions I, II & III
• Yield potential – up to 4.5 t/ha under good management

SC Sentinel (Zimbabwe)

• New “kid” on the bloc
• A good complement for SC Status
• Has consistently beaten our top commercial variety (SC Serenade)
• Very good stable performance across all production areas
• Wide area adaptability
• Matures in about 135 days
• Has a long pod shatter free period allowing harvesting with little loss of harvest
• Tolerant to Soybean Rust And Frogeye Leaf Spot
• Determinate variety recommended for production in all agro-ecological regions
• High biomass, hence could double as a forage variety
• Yield potential – > 5 t/ha under good management

Santa (Zim; But, known as Samba in Zambia)

• Excellent standability
• Good overall stability
• Very good tolerance to Frogeye Leaf Spot
• An excellent consistent performer
• Adaptable to a variety of ecologies
• Suitable for narrow row cultivation
• Determinate variety recommended for production in all agro-ecological regions
• Yield potential – up to 4.2 t/ha under good management

Sovereign (Zambia)

• Good yield stability
• Excellent resistance to pod shattering
• Gives low ratings for Frogeye, Soybean Rust
• Matures in about 130 days from the date of planting
• Determinate variety recommended for production across the 3 regions of Zambia
• Yield potential- up to 4.5 t/ha under good management

Sepa (Zambia)

• Very good standability
• Good team-mate for SC Samba
• Early maturing, hence ideal for soybean/wheat rotation
• Adapted to narrow inter-row spacing
• Wide area adaptability
• Recommended for production in all the soybean production areas
• Yield potential – up to 4.2 t/ha under good management

SC Salaam (Kenya)

• Good stable performance
• Has a descent height that offers good standability
• Good leaf disease tolerance package
• Can handle high plant population
• Determinate variety recommended for production across all soybean producing areas
• Yield potential – up to 4.2 t/ha under good management

Characteristics of Seed Co soybean varieties