Crops

In the 6 June issue of FreshPlaza.com, I came across an article entitled ‘The rise of Africa’s super vegetables’. “Indigenous vegetables are in vogue,” it said. “As people throughout East Africa have recognised the vegetables’ benefits, demand for the crops has boomed.”

I wrote a column on powdery mildew in peppers some months ago, but would now like to address this important subject more fully.

Although farm labour is still relatively cheap in South Africa compared with some other countries, worker output is much lower. As a result, many farmers struggle to absorb the impact of rising labour costs on farm margins. Fruit farmer Hannes Hanekom of Welgeneem Boerdery in the Witzenberg Valley, Western Cape, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about addressing this challenge.

Apart from reducing cyst eelworm, planting trap crops has other advantages.

I’ve always defended the producer’s right to market his produce as he sees fit. If this includes supplying direct to a supermarket, that’s fine. For a large producer, not having ‘all your eggs in one basket’ is always wise.

An integrated approach to controlling cyst eelworm usually produces the best results, but using a trap crop is perhaps the single most important method.

The self-regulating ecological balance in nature’s soils is what keeps them so sustainably productive. Graeme Sait, CEO of Nutri-Tech Solutions in Australia, says that farmers need to learn more from nature and encourage a similar productive balance in their soils.

Over the years, I’ve listened to market people bemoaning the fact that producers supply direct to supermarkets.

The advent of market agents in South Africa goes back to the mid-1800s, when farmers became unhappy with the service provided by the market masters.

The phasing out of methyl bromide and pressure on various synthetic nematicides and other compounds have sparked global interest in the use of certain brassica species to suppress soil-borne pathogens through a process termed biofumigation. These crops can also improve soil health and soil biodiversity, says Niel Kruger, marketing manager at Terason.

In the previous issue, we discussed the fact that beet cyst eelworm is impossible to eradicate once it is established on a land.

Maluti Fruit’s high-risk but focused decisions are paying off for producers, placing the eastern Free State firmly on the apple map.

Driving into the Cape Town or Port Elizabeth markets, you will see rows of people selling apples, oranges, potatoes and other products.

The cyst nematode (eelworm) get its name from the hardened cyst that it forms to protect its eggs.

Swellendam farmer Hoppies Uys has started a new farming trend in the Southern Cape by planting a summer cover crop directly after harvesting a silage crop in August. He talked to Glenneis Kriel about the principles involved and the results thus far.

There was a time, more than 50 years ago, when fresh produce markets enjoyed a market share of 80% or more. This is an ‘educated guess’ based on my own experience.

To combat herbicide resistance, farmers worldwide are having to become inventive in their herbicide application. Villa Crop’s Pieter le Roux offers practical solutions to the problem and looks at some do’s and don’ts.

Of the pests that damage beans, perhaps the best known is the bollworm.

Market agents are taught from day one that the producer is their main client – and rightly so. It’s the producer who pays their commission. But what about the other side of the coin – the buyer?

The most well-known fungal disease in beans is rust (Uromyces phaseoli). But it has become less of a problem due mainly to the emergence of resistant bean varieties.