Crops

South Africa’s relatively young macadamia industry has a long way to go to establish optimal farming practices and efficiencies. However, with nut prices falling, producers need to focus on cost savings that will balance inputs with output. Lindi Botha reports on key areas that macadamia farmers should be paying attention to.

Dragon fruit production in South Africa is growing, thanks to increasing demand from Northern Hemisphere countries.

Cabbage, which is native to western Europe, has been cultivated for at least 3 000 years and is today a major crop worldwide, says Bill Kerr.

While production on most grape farms in the Orange River region has taken a knock this season due to adverse weather conditions, GPA Boerdery has managed to achieve a decent harvest. Lourens Maass and his son Kobus, who run GPA, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about their recipe for success.

You may know all that’s necessary about growing a crop, but if your timing is off, your profits will suffer severely, says Bill Kerr.

At NAMPO 2023, Pannar’s team of experts will be available to help farmers determine which maize hybrid seed with PowerCore™ technology best suits their farm for the next growing season.

Soaring energy and labour costs have sparked research into new production practices in the fruit industry. Calla du Toit, procurement manager at Tru-Cape, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about these developments.

Fertiliser is expensive, so it’s important to start with a soil analysis, and to get the balance right, says Bill Kerr.

Diseases of sunflowers, such as brown rust and head rot, can cause severe economic losses for farmers. Janine Ryan looks at the signs of these and other diseases that can help farmers to identify them, as well as some control and prevention strategies.

Bill Kerr looks at the leaf miner, cucurbit ladybird beetle and African bollworm, all of which, despite being minor pests, can cause damage.vd

Uncontrolled weeds can rob pumpkins and other cucurbits of the nutrients they need for a good yield. Yet weeds can also protect pumpkins at a later phase in their growth, says Bill Kerr.

Leaf miners are a serious threat to tomato plants. Yet tiny parastic wasps are on hand to help bring their numbers down. All it requires is a bit of patience from farmers, says Bill Kerr.