We bring you an update on our rootstock series from the December issue — now including salinity tolerance and drought sensitivity. Information provided by Dr Piet Stassen with input from Petru du Plessis and other technical advisers. The success of…
Why do some plum cultivars shrivel more than others? By Grethe Bestbier. Shrivel, especially in plums, is a major problem in the South African fruit industry. This post-harvest condition manifests as shrinkage, shrivelling and reduced mass, and is related to…
Why it happens and how to prevent it. By Anna Mouton. Sunburn is the damage caused by too much sun exposure — anyone who spends time outdoors knows this. People tend to find a tan attractive in humans but not…
Highlights of projects funded by Hortgro Pome and Hortgro Stone Hortgro Pome and Hortgro Stone have funded — and continue to fund — extensive research into the development and control of sunburn. The goal is to better understand the causes…
Environmental conditions after harvest can make or break stone-fruit quality. By Anna Mouton. “Low temperatures are important for maintaining fruit quality,” says Handré Viljoen, stone-fruit research manager at ExperiCo. “At the correct temperatures the fruit will develop fewer internal defects…
Top-performing orchards start with a blue-label investment. By Anna Mouton and Rachel Kriel. What is the Deciduous Fruit Plant Certification Scheme? The Deciduous Fruit Plant Certification Scheme is a voluntary certification programme for plant material. The Scheme is managed by…
Paving the way for next-generation pest control. By Anna Mouton. “There’s been rapid growth in pest control methods that are based on genome information,” says Dr Minette Karsten, postdoctoral researcher with the Applied Physiological Ecology Laboratory within the Department of…
What does it take to get from blossom to bin? By Anna Mouton. Technical input by Prof. Karen Theron, Chair in Applied Preharvest Deciduous Fruit Research at Stellenbosch University. Fruit set is that hopeful moment when the base of a…
Can plums tolerate higher CO2 levels during shipping? By Kyra-Kay Rensburg. The current reefer container-vent setting of 15 m3 per hour for stone fruit aims to prevent CO2 build-up but exacerbates moisture loss. Closing the vents could increase relative humidity…
South African stakeholders launch a counteroffensive against the invasive beetles threatening our trees. By Anna Mouton. No one knows when polyphagous shot-hole borers — PSHBs — snuck into South Africa. Their cover was blown in 2017 thanks to a surveillance…