A brief history of pears
Pears have come a long way in the 25–65 million years since their evolution in the mountains of western China. By Anna Mouton. Pears are woody trees and shrubs in the genus Pyrus. No one is sure how many Pyrus…
A daily decision
Two soil scientists share their take on irrigation scheduling and systems. By Anna Mouton. “Irrigation is critical, but it’s difficult to optimise,” observes Karen van der Westhuizen of Agrimotion. “For nutrition, you take leaf and soil samples and make a…
A new agricultural revolution
The focus shifts to sustainability. By Anna Mouton. Agricultural production has grown exponentially for nearly two centuries. Outputs more than tripled in the period 1960–2015 — the achievements of the so-called Green Revolution of the 1960s are so significant that…
A perspective on plant quarantine
Plant quarantine is an essential link in the plant-production chain and a crucial component of plant improvement. By Kyra-Kay Rensburg. “Importing plant material from other countries provides an opportunity to also import exotic pathogens that can have potentially devastating consequences,…
A South African perspective on chemical thinners
Fresh Quarterly interviews a deciduous fruit expert. By Wiehann Steyn. Professor Karen Theron has been with the Department of Horticultural Science at Stellenbosch University since 1985. She currently holds the Chair in Applied Preharvest Deciduous Fruit Research. For the past…
A strong start
The physical and physiological characteristics of nursery trees. By Grethe Bestbier. How you start something often affects how you finish it, and the importance of a strong start cannot be overstated. In the same way, the physical and physiological characteristics…
A tool to decode climate data
TerraClim is a climate and terrain tool for the Western Cape that offers powerful decision-making support to pome-fruit growers. By Anna Mouton. We are all aware that environmental variables such as temperature are decisive for pome-fruit production and quality. This…
Agricultural technology in Australia
A perspective from Tatura SmartFarm. By Anna Mouton. Agriculture Victoria’s world-renowned Tatura SmartFarm is synonymous with horticultural innovation. Dr Mark O’Connell is a senior research scientist in horticultural production science at Tatura. He has more than three decades of experience…
All about pears
The highlights of the panel discussion about the South African pear industry’s status and prospects. By Anna Mouton. The panel covered topics ranging from rootstocks to netting. The edited transcript below summarises the main points, and the entire session can…
An international perspective on pear production
Prof. Stefano Musacchi has been working on pears for more than three decades. He started his career at the University of Bologna and currently holds the Endowed Chair in Tree-fruit Physiology and Management at Washington State University. He also chairs…