Smart Orchard 2.0
An ongoing project in Washington State puts technology to the test. By Anna Mouton. The explosion of new technologies has been a mixed blessing for fruit growers. Never before have growers had access to so much data — and never…
Protective netting in Washington State
Research results demonstrate the many benefits of putting nets over apple orchards. By Anna Mouton. Sunburn is as much a problem in Washington State as it is in South Africa. Washington growers have historically managed sunburn through overhead evaporative cooling…
Exploit physiology to transform yields
Will 200 tonnes per hectare become the new normal? By Anna Mouton. Debates about the relationship of yield to planting systems and tree structure are as old as horticulture, according to plant physiologist Dr Ken Breen of the New Zealand…
Fruit quality underpins profits
Tonnes are not enough — growers must focus on boosting Class 1 pack-outs. By Anna Mouton. Technical adviser Willie Kotze of Dutoit Agri thinks that apple producers are leaving money on the table by not optimising fruit quality. He believes…
Escape the cost-income wedge
A focus on yield and quality is indispensable to profitable pome-fruit farming. By Anna Mouton. “The good news is that there are some brilliant orchards — and growers — that are making a lot of money,” said Graeme Krige, technical…
Who is going to eat South African apples?
And what should growers be doing to prepare for the future? By Anna Mouton. Rising prosperity in developing countries will boost market opportunities for South African apples over the next twenty years according to data presented by Dr Nigel Cook…
A sustainable model for agricultural research and education
Sustainability is not about maintaining the status quo. By Kyra Rensburg. “Universities are not in a bad place, but I think they can and should be better, and going forward they have to be better,” said Prof. Danie Brink, dean…
What is Hortgro’s plan going forward?
Anton Rabe, Executive Director of Hortgro, addressed the Hortgro Technical Symposium in a pre-recorded message. By Kara van der Berg. Rabe spoke about the deciduous fruit industry’s current circumstances as well as its vision and ideas for the future, as…
Agriculture under current economic conditions
What do the global economic impacts of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine mean for South Africa? By Kyra Rensburg. The global macroeconomy can be categorised according to recession, climate change, and the five i’s — infections, inventory, inflation, interest…
Fulfilling South Africa’s agricultural potential through shared humanity
We live in an interdependent world. Sustainable success for any individual or sector depends on the success of society as a whole. By Kyra Rensburg. Prof. Thuli Madonsela, former Public Protector of South Africa and the Law Trust Chair in…