Crops

The macadamia industry is making inroads into what have traditionally been sugar cane areas. From Malelane in Mpumalanga to Pongola in KwaZulu-Natal, cane is being replaced by nuts as farmers hope to capitalise on better returns from the market. Is this the boon they have been waiting for?

They are notoriously tricky crops to grow in summer, but broccoli and cauliflower flourish on Southern Block farm in KwaZulu-Natal. By focusing on optimal soil and vigorous plants, this farm uses minimal chemical inputs. Lindi Botha spoke to the team about their winning recipe.

Growing black winter truffles can be a highly lucrative undertaking for farmers looking to diversify their enterprises. Volker and Paul Miros, who run Woodford Truffles SA, spoke to Marinda Louw Coetzee about the expert knowledge and capital required to do so.

After the failure of local green kiwifruit production in the 1980s, a new group of farmers is hopeful that golden kiwis will become a South African success story. One such producer, Peter Nicholson, spoke to Susan Marais about the sector and its ambitions.

Cover crops are the gifts that keep on giving. Not only do they maintain soil moisture and improve soil health, but they are a valuable tool for reducing pest loads in subtropical orchards. By planting specific species, farmers can reduce their pesticide bill and meet the crop safety requirements of their markets.

Potatoes are grown from disease-free seed potatoes, require a lot of fertiliser, and are labour-intensive. All of this costs plenty, warns Bill Kerr.

The yields of mature pecan nut orchards are failing to reach optimal levels, and concerned producers have been searching high and low to find answers, investigating everything from foliar applications to soil management. The latest indications are that the solution seems to lie in the trees’ roots.

Over the past few years, monocropping has largely given way to the crop rotation system, and ley farming has gained popularity in grain-producing areas such as KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, the Free State and North West, where many farmers also produce livestock. Prof Chris Dannhauser spoke to Susan Marais about how the rotating of grain crops with planted pastures can be a highly useful practice.

Chimera can be mistaken for a viral or bacterial infection, but it is actually a genetic disorder that could benefit some producers.

Mpumalanga-based granadilla breeder Darryn Stoltz has developed a delicious new passion fruit cultivar that offers several advantages over previous varieties. One of these is longer shelf life, enabling the export of better-quality fruit.

As a new producer with no prior knowledge or experience of farming, Vutlhari Chauke of VT Harvest has leaned heavily on her business skills and her willingness to learn. Her approach is paying dividends for her Gauteng-based vegetable and herb farm.

It’s expensive to throw away perfectly healthy seedlings. Rather keep them in limbo until you can plant them, says Bill Kerr.