Preparing to plant carrots: seeds and soil
Carrots have a very deep root system and a mass of fine feeder roots.
Managing resistance of African stem borer to BT-maize
Andri Visser, a doctoral student at the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management at North-West University, explores how assumptions about the behaviour of the African stem borer affect the resistance...
Pursuing soil health precisely
Chris and Dewald Bothma of North West have converted from conventional maize production to a combination of precision and conservation agriculture methods. But the change did not come easily, and...
Why SA leads the world in effective lucerne hay grading
Lucerne is one of the most important hay crops in South Africa, but differences in quality can have a marked effect on livestock performance and profitability, especially in the dairy...
Dealing with pumpkin flies
Pumpkin flies, which are slightly larger than houseflies, are similar to the fruit flies so well-known to fruit farmers.
From fruit hawker to successful lemon exporter
Although Wayne Mansfield made useful connections in the fruit industry as a hawker, he knew little about farming.
How to control cucurbit viruses
It is also important to control aphids as these are the primary vectors of viruses. Apart from spreading viruses, they are up to no good anyway!
‘Soil Sista’ profits from the informal vegetable market
With competition fierce in South Africa’s vegetable production arena, finding clients and then adapting to their requirements are essential for success. Award-winning vegetable farmer Zama Buthelezi tells Lloyd Phillips how...
‘Quality drives demand’ – SA potato farmer of the year
Syngenta Potato Farmer of the Year 2017, Nico Wagner of Wilnick Boerdery, employs various efficiency measures to ensure profitability, and the quality of his produce ensures a stable demand from...
Witlof: a new entrant to SA’s leafy vegetables market
Witlof, also known as Belgian endive, is a notoriously difficult vegetable to grow, but Koue Bokkeveld grower Fanie van der Merwe has mastered the art, producing 1t of witlof a...
Why pumpkins need space to grow
There is no one-size-fits-all recipe for growing pumpkins. This is especially true of spacing, where many factors have to be considered.
Smarter ways to irrigate sugar cane
South Africa’s irrigated sugar cane farming region was hard hit by the recent drought. This prompted Dr Abraham Singels, principal agronomist at the SA Sugarcane Research Institute, and his colleagues...
