Crops

Occasionally I deviate from the norm and try to give readers some insight into the wider world of fresh produce.

No-till is now a well-established farming practice worldwide, with many benefits for soil health and crop yield. Bruce Shepherd feels that it should be combined with cover cropping.

Blackleg is a fungal disease that can be highly destructive. Fortunately, although there are no resistant varieties, it can be managed or prevented if you know how it spreads.

We’re into 2015. Time to haul out my crystal ball, give it a good shine and peer deep inside to see what lies in store for the year ahead.

The South African Breweries (SAB) has launched a project to encourage and support sustainable farming practices among barley farmers. This focuses primarily on water reduction and soil health, reports Denene...

Black rot (Xanthomonas campestris) is the most important cabbage disease. Thriving in warm, wet conditions, it is most active at 25°C to 30°C and therefore more of a problem in...

Some farmers think they can achieve good results only by sending their fruit or vegetables to one of the big markets.

Cultivating vanilla on Réunion Island – and elsewhere – is a drawn-out, specialised process done entirely by hand. Even the pollination is painstakingly carried out flower by flower. This explains...

Before we start on cabbage diseases, there are still a few sporadic pests that we should look at. One is the cabbage webworm (Hellula undalis).

Farming is an intricate business and should be managed accordingly, says Richard Hobson, Grain SA’s 2014 Grain Producer of the Year and manager at Botselo Farming. Annelie Coleman visited Richard...

There’s a truism among market agents: ‘Product is power’. The more product and variety you have on your floor, the more buyers you can attract and the better you can...

EIMA International, the agricultural machinery exhibition held in Bologna, Italy, in November, showcased some of the latest equipment for vineyards and orchards. Glenneis Kriel spoke to exhibitors about their machinery...

Several cabbage pests may be sporadic or seasonal. One of these is thrips.

According to a 7 November Farmer’s Weekly news item, we throw away roughly one-third of all the food produced on the planet – about three billion tons – annually.

Aphids are a problem in two ways. Firstly, they cause physical damage when feeding on the crop.

The soya bean cultivar best adapted to a specific area will provide the best yield and quality. The ARC national soya bean cultivar trials are valuable in determining the most...

Nearly everyone who has ever grown brassicas has had a problem with the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella). Small wonder it is also called the ‘cabbage moth’.

Even if your father is a successful farmer, it’s important to start at the bottom to become a top farmer. This is the view of Kolver Mülke, Agri Northern Cape’s...

The traditional route for a person entering the market agency business has seen the youngster working alongside an older person, receiving on-the-job training.

The use of picking platforms for fruit tree management and harvesting is still relatively new in South Africa. Thomas Babl, who has been using the technology for the past two...