Here’s your guide to the most important pests that attack plants in hydroponic systems. Growing conditions in a hydroponic system differ from those in open fields, but most pests attack plants in both systems with equal vigour because the plants’ chemical make-up stays the same, irrespective of the growing conditions.…
Learning how to identify insect potato pests helps us to decide on a course of treatment. Taking a close look at the most important of the more than 60 insect pests that attack potatoes will help potato farmers to protect their crops and income. POTATO TUBER MOTH The moths are…
Monitoring is the first step in managing pests and preventing fruit damage. Here’s advice on how this should be done. For fruit farming to be successful, you need to know as soon as a pest appears in your orchards, so that something can be done before it is too late.…
Here’s some expert advice on weed and pest control for your bell peppers. APHIDS Aphids (mainly Myzus persicae or green peach aphids) are small, soft bodied insects that can be green, black, yellow or pink. They are found on the terminal growth ends or underneath the leaf of the plant.…
The Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International (CABI) has established a €6.3 million state-of-the-art risk information service centre to strengthen the resilience of Zambian smallholder farmers to pests and crop diseases such as fall armyworm. According to CABI, the centre was built with the support of International Partnerships from the United…
Various insect pests – such as the bagrada bug, diamond back moth, greater cabbage moth, army worm, bollworms and aphids – attack cabbages. The diamondback moth is the most destructive of them all. The larvae of the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) are a serious pest on most plants in the…
Monoculture crop production has been associated with an increase in pests and soil-borne disease. Using crop rotation and companion planting can help to break disease cycles and improve soil health. Crop rotation is one of the most basic principles of vegetable production and should always be practised. It’s best described…
Larger grain borers have surfaced in Zambia’s Northern Province, heightening concerns that the pests will cause damage to the region’s harvest. The Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) also advised smallholder farmers to budget for the purchase of chemicals* to combat fall armyworm. The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) said grain borers…
Modern day farmers must abandon monoculture cultivation in livestock and crop farming if they are to win the war against weeds and plagues. This is the warning from Walter Davis, well-known American cattle farmer and consultant. Davis was a speaker at an annual farmer’s day about Regenerative Agriculture on the…
Efforts to contain red locusts in southern Malawi are being hampered by local communities who regard the migratory pests as a delicacy. Local media, however, reports warnings by the Ministry of Agriculture to refrain from eating the insects, went largely unheeded in the Mulanje district. “The red locust, dzombe as…
A swarm of red locust has invaded Southern Malawi where the migratory pests are attacking crop fields, the International Red Locust Control Organisation for Central and Southern Africa (IRLCOCSA) confirmed on Wednesday. As a result IRLCOCSA has put five other members of the six-nation organisation – Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya…
The Malawi Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development has warned that a red locust swarm was seen in the Mulanje district. In a statement, Erica Maganga, secretary for Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, said the ministry is doing everything possible to control the situation. “The ministry has organised with…
Except for fall armyworm which has already wreaked havoc in southern Africa this year, two more migrating pests and plagues are moving south. It is only a matter of time before others reach Africa. Dr Marinda Visser, Grain SA Manager of Research and Grain Policy, at an Agbiz Grain mini…
The fall armyworm that ravaged maize fields in Zambia during the last planting season has resurfaced in Central province. This raised concerns about the country’s readiness to handle the pest during the 2017/’18 farming season. Authorities in Central Province told local media the worms were spotted in the winter maize…
The international seed and agricultural products group DuPont recently opened a new technology center with the largest privately-owned insectarium in Africa, near the town of Delmas in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The company says the center will accelerate new product development across various crops for farmers and assist in helping the…
Microbial soil organisms can likely be a new, environmentally friendly weapon against crop diseases invading Africa, scientists say. In the past few years several trans-boundary pests and diseases like fall armyworm, tomato leaf miner and the tropical race 4 (TR4) banana disease, caused millions of dollars of crop damage. It…
Pest insects destroyed an estimated 18% to 26% of annual crop production worldwide in 2011, according to research from the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS). Most losses (13% to16%) occurred in the field, pre-harvest, and were heaviest in developing countries. That’s us. Synthetic chemicals have been used for…
An upsurge in cross border crop and livestock pests is bringing together role players in Southern Africa to enhance preparedness. A three day regional meeting that started on 14 February is currently underway in Harare, Zimbabwe, where increased investment in the preparedness and response capacities to new and endemic threats…
In organic farming, using alternative planting techniques can improve a crop’s performance dramatically. Organic vegetable grower, Jane Griffiths, shares some ideas. The major techniques are interplanting, companion planting, succession planting and vertical planting. Growing two or more types of vegetables in the same place at the same time is known…
A simple yet effective gadget that reflected light helped this farmer to prevent birds from damaging his fruit. On Mr. Manie van Zyl’s farm Plaatkop the birds used to pick off the apricot flowers and eat the fruit every year. Traditional scarecrows, like the boom canon or die doll with…
