Crops

Numerous failings within South Africa's land reform programme, and the uncertainties this is causing, have resulted in no new investment taking place on existing litchi farms.

We look at using pine needles, leaves, lawn clippings, straw, compost and straw manure as mulch.

The Van der Merwes of ALG Estates recently received the National Agricultural Writers 2010 Farmer of the Year Award. After the deregulation of agriculture, brothers All and Gerrit started marketing and exporting their own fruit, aiming to control the entire value and distribution chain from tree to customer. Gerrit Jr recently joined them. Denene Erasmus reports.

For years I've been carrying on about the importance of using a fresh-produce commission market properly if you want it to work for you, so let's take a look at how you can get the most out of one.

Downy mildew is less of A problem in cabbage than it used to be. With resistant varieties available, susceptible varieties don't have to be planted in vulnerable areas any more.

The late Peter Venter captured the essence of fresh-produce markets when he said, "When a country needs to import most of its fresh produce, then it doesn't require markets to establish prices, as these will have been done by the importers and wholesalers who bought the fresh produce across the borders.

Clubroot really is a revolting disease -that's literally the reaction of any farmer who pulls out a sickly-looking plant and sees what the root system looks like. Clubroot is also destructive enough to wipe out a crop.

Imported, inferior-quality chicory has severly hurt local production. Almost half South Africa's producers left the industry in the last few years, causing a huge drop in production. But Chicory SA's Loddie Greyling believes the industry can be saved. Lourens Schoeman spoke to him.

Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) is a very destructive cruciferous crop disease that usually occurs unexpectedly. In most cases, by the time farmers notice it it's often too late to stop it. Worse, there's no cure, as it's a viral disease.

Agricultural economist Dr Koos Coetzee wrote about the local market's importance (Global Farming column, 5 November). Some points have a bearing on fresh produce suppliers.

Dolf du Bruyn, a Grain SA 2010 Grain Producer of the Year finalist, only started farming on his own about 13 years ago. He has since become one of the largest landowners on the Sand/Vet irrigation scheme near Bultfontein. Starting off growing vegetables on a leased plot, he now plants maize, wheat and groundnuts on 800ha irrigated and 3 300ha rainfed land.

SCLEROTINIA disease can overwhelm many crops, especially in wet climates. I experienced a severe outbreak in my bean crop in 2009 during the persistent rainy season. I hadn't seen the disease in any of my crops for years and I'm uncertain of where the infection started.