Technology

Pöttinger Terradiscs, very wide, high-speed disc harrows, were launched at Agritechnica 2018 in Hanover.

South Africa has not one, but two fire seasons: the dry summer months in the Western Cape, and the dry winter months in the rest of the country.

How long will your new tyres last? That depends on whether you use them correctly and drive carefully. And this applies regardless of tyre quality.

In 2018, Compac Sorting Equipment, part of TOMRA Food, launched its Field Research Unit, which can be deployed on lands to research the fresh produce industry’s most challenging issues. James Flocchini, Compac’s regional director for South Africa and Asia, spoke to Denene Erasmus about how the Field Research Unit will be used to develop solutions for the citrus industry specifically and how the technology can ultimately help limit food waste.

Improvements have resulted in far more powerful four-cylinder tractor engines. But Case IH has bucked the trend, adding a six-cylinder engine to its Maxxum range.

Since its launch four years ago, agri tech company Aerobotics has been working on algorithms to improve the interpretation of aerial data. James Paterson, Andrew Sheard and Marloe van Niekerk spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the software.

Ezigro Seedlings in Mpumalanga grows a wide range of seedlings all year round, thanks to resource-efficient tunnel production in an ideal climate. The tunnels provide another advantage: they allow for rapid adaptation to a changing market. Lindi Botha spoke to CEO Anthony Baird.

Follow any manual knapsack sprayer out of the store to its destination, and you will find an application that could be made more efficient by using a motorised sprayer.

You don’t have to have green fingers to grow lush vegetables and herbs. But you do have to have a head for heights if you want to join the brigade of farmers transforming their lives and Johannesburg’s inner-city rooftops with their hydroponic gardens.

The official launch of the latest Krone Big X forage harvester took place in Germany in September 2018. Joe Spencer reports on this advanced machine.

Tar road, dirt road, off-road. Mud, sand and rocks. Wet and dry. No single tyre copes well under all conditions. So how do you choose a tyre for your bakkie or 4x4? Jake Venter offers advice.

A wetland, whether smaller than a hectare or covering a vast area, is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. We urgently need to conserve them.

John Deere recently announced improvements and additions to the specifications of some of its tractors and combines.

The average temperature increase in Southern Africa due to climate change is taking place at twice the global rate. The resulting lower rainfall figures and increase in the number of heatwaves will see agricultural landscapes shifting and veld fires growing in frequency. All of this will demand careful planning.

A Dutch company that produces animal feed from food waste says this is the only way in which agriculture can remain sustainable. Gerhard Uys spoke to Karel van der Velden from Nijsen/Granico.

Volkswagen’s success is legendary. Beginning in 1937 with its remarkable Beetle, the company has grown to become a global giant.

There’s more to wheel rotation than a rubber-clad disc spinning around an axle. Jake Venter unravels the mysteries of camber, toe and caster

According to Sappi CEO Steve Binnie, the group’s latest financial results show that it is ready to capitalise on market moves away from plastic to natural fibre and paper-based packaging. Sappi Biotech executive vice-president Louis Kruyshaar outlines the company’s plans to Lloyd Phillips.

Rovic Leers dealers and farmer customers were recently taken on a tour of Kuhn’s impressive factory in Severn, France.

The motoring industry is awash with dodgy spare parts. Don’t become a victim, says Jake Venter.