Experts

flood

Saving water: Flood irrigation explained

  26th April 2018

Flood irrigation is one of the oldest and most-used methods to irrigate crops. Flood irrigation is a way of controlling, distributing and delivering water by means of gravity. It’s suitable for use on any crop. The irrigation cycle for flood irrigation is usually longer than for other systems because it…

rhizoctonia; potato; biological

Vegetable production: The basics of biological control

  26th April 2018

The huge variety of biological pest control products now available is enough to confuse any farmer. The increased demand for biological control products can largely be ascribed to problems developed from the use of chemical pesticides. These problems include pest resurgence, resistance, environmental pollution and risks to human health. The…

boom

Mechanisation: How to calibrate a boom sprayer

  25th April 2018

Farmers who protect their crops against weeds and pests by using a tractor-driven boom sprayer should ensure that it is set to spray the exact volume of chemical needed per hectare. Each season the availability and correct application of agricultural chemicals make the difference between crop failure and a profitable…

sprayer

Mechanisation: How to effectively use knapsack sprayers

  25th April 2018

The effective use of pesticides and herbicides is important for good yields in any crop, and could save you money and/or increase yields. To understand the methodology of chemical spraying one has to look at the principles of the spraying technique. HOW DROPLETS ARE FORMED Droplets are formed when a…

Mechanisation: How to choose a good planter

  24th April 2018

For a crop farmer, planting is probably the most important management activity. This article provides guidelines on how to choose a good planter. Let’s say you want to plant 40 000 maize plants per hectare at a depth of 50 mm and would like to fertilise it with granular 2:3:2…

herbicide

Crop production: Are your weeds herbicide resistant?

  24th April 2018

Herbicide-resistant weeds are a major concern for crop producers. Farmers fear that, in an extreme case of resistance, they might lose the chemical tools that had previously been effective. Weed species that can survive and reproduce following exposure to a dose of herbicide that is usually lethal to its wild…

weeds; tillage

Crop production: Improve soil through conservation tillage

  23rd April 2018

Soil tillage is a costly business and intensive tillage can degrade the soil and impact the potential for crop production in the long term. New tillage systems, such as no-till and reduced tillage, were developed to slow down or stop the process of degradation. These systems, which fall under the…

machine; tractor

Mechanisation: Pointers for buying a tractor

  20th April 2018

Before buying a tractor, you should first decide what it is going to be used for and whether you should rather consider purchasing a second-hand tractor. Thorough planning is the first step when buying expensive equipment and implements. Most commercial farmers need a tractor, but for many a newcomer, a…