A 20-year journey has validated their decision to transition from industrial agriculture to farming in harmony with nature. By Anna Mouton. The family-owned ZZ2 group began thinking about a different approach to food production back in the 1990s. “We started…
A summary of Hortgro-funded research on water and irrigation. By Anna Mouton. Water scarcity was already a recognised risk in 1998 when Dr Theresa Volschenk and colleagues of what is now the ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij began investigating the Soil Water Balance…
Soil fumigation is the cornerstone of replant control. Can research provide growers with more options? By Anna Mouton. Apple replant is a soilborne disease of apples established on soils previously occupied by apples. The condition primarily stunts the growth of…
Why does it occur and what can you do about it? By Anna Mouton. “I saw another case of salinisation only yesterday,” says Louis Reynolds, director at Fruitful Crop Advice, a consulting service specialising in fertilisation, irrigation, and the establishment…
New crop protection projects focus on orchard ecology. By Anna Mouton. There’s an old saying that nature abhors a vacuum, and this certainly applies to orchards. Establish a block of fruit trees and other life follows: plants of one kind…
Innovation adds value. By Anna Mouton. “M.9 has been used successfully as a rootstock all over the world,” says Keith Bradley, general manager of agri-services at Fruitways Farming, “but there was always the perception that M.9 wouldn’t work in South…
A summary of current, completed, and new research. Compiled by Grethe Bestbier. Hortgro Science has supported and funded several research projects on apple replant disease, and continues to do so. Apple replant disease is caused by a complex of organisms…
Q+A with Tianna DuPont. By Anna Mouton. The United States is the second largest apple-producing country — total production in 2020 was 5.1 million tonnes. Seventy percent of these apples come from Washington State. Fresh Quarterly spoke to Tianna DuPont,…
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…
Because orchard performance is rooted in the soil. By Anna Mouton. Most growers would agree that soil conditions can determine the success of an orchard. This is why so much effort goes into soil preparation when planting. But what about…