-
Bark Borers and their Kin in Macadamias
by Schalk Schoeman, Rersearch Extension Manager, SAMAC The polyphagous shot hole borer was positively identified on macadamias in the South Coast during March this year. Various bark borer species were observed on macadamias since 2014 and their incidence has been increasing every year since then. This situation is not unique and other countries with subtropicalContinue… Read more
-
South African scientists on pandemic’s frontline (Financial Times. London, 15th February 2021).
Decision to halt AstraZeneca roll-out highlights vital role played by country’s experts. Scientists are concerned the South Africa coronavirus strain could be far more widespread in the UK than test results show, threatening plans to start lifting lockdown once vaccines have been deployed. South Africa’s pause of its rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in responseContinue… Read more
-
Moth Borer Complex on Macadamia
Schalk Schoeman – SAMAC The economic importance of the moth complex is often vastly underestimated as growers often tend to only take notice of the direct kernel damage reported by various kernel processing facilities. Typically, this type of damage seldom exceeds 5% which is accepted as a general action threshold in lieu of a moreContinue… Read more
-
Setting up an Orchard For Success – Part 2: Soil Preparation – Dr. Theunis Smit
In the first part one of this series of articles we have focused on the identification and selection of good quality trees, which in my opinion is one of the most critical steps in macadamia farming. Placing an order for tree should, in all cases, precede the land preparation phase of setting up a newContinue… Read more
-
Loading soil with biochar allows farmers to cut way back on irrigation. By Emma Bryce, for Anthropocene Magazine, October 23, 2020
DAILY SCIENCE Loading soil with biochar allows farmers to cut way back on irrigationAt high applications levels, researchers found that biochar can not only soak up a lot of carbon, but also reduce the need for irrigation by almost 40%. Biochar – the charcoal product used to enrich agricultural soil and trap carbon—may have aContinue… Read more
-
Beekeeping and the Challenges that Face the Industry: Part Two
By Inge Lotter 15 October 2020 The Effect of Pesticide and Fungicide Application on Apis mellifera (honey bees) In the previous article we looked at one of the challenges that face beekeepers in South Africa which is theft and vandalism of their bee hives. The second and very serious challenge that beekeepers face is directlyContinue… Read more
