Crops

The Swartland Canola Competition recognises outstanding farming efforts, identifying trends that could help enhance the production of this crop. This year's winner, André Brink, may have found the secret formula to canola success - nitrogen, seed density and rainfall.

Farmers often have difficulty with identifying nutrient deficiencies in cabbages. I recognise them because of my experience in dealing with them over the years. Some deficiencies are uncommon and even many fertiliser company representatives cannot identify them

As weeds become increasingly resistant to herbicides, farmers will have to adopt strategic or long-term approaches when cultivating their crops. The time has come to consider other alternatives, before resorting immediately to chemical tools.

The processing of fibre and derivatives from kenaf is about to commence in Winterton, KwaZulu-Natal, in a brand new plant presently undergoing commissioning, with production set to kick off in early April

Over the last few years, coffee production in South Africa has been more of a boutique industry limited to a handful of growers on minimal land. But as a coffee culture grows locally and internationally, the demand for beans suggests it may be the right time to revisit home-grown coffee. Robyn Joubert reports.
Issue Date: 13 April 2007

A recent visit to a client has prompted another article on integrated pest management (IPM). This farmer has two vegetable farms separated by a few kilometres. He uses wasps to control leaf miner and Hawaiian web worm on beet.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007

This practice combines natural and chemical means to control pests. In SA, brassica farmers tend to stick to a set chemical pest control programme.
Issue date:23 March 2007

Ranking alongside caviar and saffron in price and rarity, black truffles are now produced in South Africa by Donna Hornby of Truffles of Africa in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal.

In South Africa, this is a relatively new pest in cabbage. The western flower thrip is the problem and apparently was accidentally introduced from the US in chrysanthemum cuttings. It has subsequently become a huge pest of many crops and is also responsible for tomato spotted wilt virus becoming a major disease in crops where it was almost unknown.
Issue Date 16 March 2007

Fruit farmer Ian de Kock of Harmonie farm near Montagu in the Western Cape, says the use of fulvic and amino acids has improved crop health, yields and fruit quality while reducing the dependence on fertiliser.
Issue Date 16 March 2007

Other pests that attack cabbages
Issue Date: 9 March 2007

Growing mushrooms on a small scale for home use or commercial sale can be lucrative. However, Lloyd Phillips discovers why a good-quality mushroom crop can only come from spawn produced under stringent laboratory conditions.
Issue Date: 9 March 2007