Plant
Biofumigation using an eelworm trap crop
Apart from reducing cyst eelworm, planting trap crops has other advantages.
- Beat cyst eelworm with trap crops
- Beet cyst eelworm - the chemical option
- How to save olives from destructive diseases
- This wild plant could be the next strawberry
- A new tomato ideal for urban gardens and even outer space
- Identifying a plant cell barrier to breeding more nutritious crops
- Plant scientists identify new strategy to enhance rice grain yield
- The benefits of farm trials – Part 1
Plant
Don't drown your crop's roots!
Where many farmers fall short is knowing how deep the water has penetrated after irrigation or rain.
Getting irrigation right
Farmers often ask me how frequently and how much they should irrigate. There is no simple answer, as many aspects must first be considered.
Crop problems: look for the clues!
We recently discussed how to identify mineral deficiencies and eelworm infestation. Many other problems can occur, of course.
Dealing with eelworm
There are a number of species to contend with; the common root knot genera (Melodogyne spp.) are easy to identify as the nematode enters the root and causes
Know your spinach variants
Chard (Beta vulgaris) is also known as ‘Swiss chard’, ‘silver beet’, ‘mangold’ and other names. In South Africa it is usually referred to simply as ‘spinach’.
How to spray for whitefly
If it were not for the natural enemies of this pest, whiteflies would probably be our main vegetable pest. An outbreak of whitefly is usually the result
Spraying tips: Don’t mix chemicals
When spraying different pests at the same time, many farmers try to kill two birds with one stone by making elaborate mixtures.
Sandy soil: a guide to working with it
Vegetable expert Bill Kerr discusses how to get the best out of sandy soil, regardless of what crop you’re growing.
Using a knapsack sprayer on a big farm
Many farmers think that using a knapsack sprayer is taking a step backwards as large spray rigs are fast and effective. However, knapsack sprayers still have
Getting nozzle size and pressure right
As pointed out previously, the key to successful pest and disease control is optimal penetration of the spray mixture.
Growing a variety of soil microbes
Most farmers are aware that a healthy population of soil organisms is a good thing. What many don’t understand is that the number of soil organisms is directly
Making an effective spray mixture
There is more to a spray mixture than chemical product and water. You also need an adjuvant – a substance added to the water to enable the sprayed product