Selecting the right nitrogen fertiliser
When it comes to vegetables, choosing the right nitrogen fertiliser is extremely important. For many US agronomists, ammonium sulphate is the fertiliser of choice.
The relationship between nitrogen & organic matter
Vegetable growers frequently ignore the relationship between nitrogen and organic matter when deciding on the amount of nitrogen to apply to a crop, yet it is extremely important.
How to handle fresh produce
Instilling the importance of careful handling of fruit and vegetables is not as simple as it might seem.
Food losses
I have been pursuing the theme of food wastage and loss for the past few weeks because the problem is much more serious – and complex – than most people...
More about nitrogen
The inability of soil microbes to convert ammonium to nitrate at a soil temperature below 10°C has caused reduced yields in winter without farmers understanding what the problem is.
Understanding nitrogen
Certain elements are essential for plant growth, so it stands to reason that if any of these are in short supply, the plant’s development will be affected.
Consumer needs?
Last week, I wrote about the enormous amount of food wasted on our planet daily. The statistics are alarming, but numbers tell only part of the story.
Growing baby carrots
Almost everything that applies to growing ‘normal’ carrots falls away when you plant for the baby carrot market.
Positive growth for potato industry
I recently attended a Potatoes SA (PSA) Information Day at Patensie, not far from Port Elizabeth. The area is well-known for its citrus and potatoes, which seem to occupy all...
Marketing and presentation of your carrot crop
As with most commodities, presentation of the product has a disproportionate influence on the price received.
Other carrot leaf diseases
This week, I want to look at three other diseases that are very similar, but may need different products to keep in check. These are Cercospora, bacterial leaf blight and...
Ask your market agent
Have you ever spoken to your market agent about his or her ‘legitimacy’ as a commission salesperson?
Are you covered?
Producers send huge volumes of fresh produce to the markets – over three million tons a year at last count. A large proportion of this is either placed in cold...
Know your leaf blight pathogens
When it comes to leaf blight, there are three species of Alternaria that carrot growers have to watch out for: A dauci, A radicina and A alternata.
Fresh produce markets – choose wisely
Last week, I wrote about how a group of visiting UK potato farmers said that we in South Africa needed to preserve our commission markets system.
Other carrot problems
Carrots are not attacked by many pests, apart from eelworm. Nonetheless, there are a few pests that can prove a problem.
UK Marketing agents envy us
Along with several other fresh produce sector colleagues, I recently had the pleasure of addressing a group of visiting UK potato farmers and traders hosted by Potatoes SA.
Carrot root diseases
Your carrot crop is looking good. You can almost hear the money cascading into your bank account. Then you harvest it – and all that profit vanishes.
Eelworms love carrots
By far the biggest carrot pest is the root knot eelworm (Melodogyne spp). In many other vegetable crops, these nematodes are not much of a problem, but in carrots they...
Fresh Produce global round-up
Occasionally, I like to break away from the norm and take a look at the bigger picture of fresh produce trading globally. Here are some snippets gleaned from recent industry...
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