Pressure is mounting to find alternatives to chemical crop protectants. How far are we in developing other options? By Anna Mouton The current generation of table-grape growers is accustomed to chemical pest control. But synthetic pesticides only became mainstream after…
In 1886 the SA wine industry was nearly destroyed when phylloxera, an aphid-like insect which originates from wild grapevines in North America, was accidentally introduced into SA. The industry was saved only by the introduction of resistant rootstocks onto which…
New research project launched to quantify apple water use under shade netting compared to the open. Stephanie Midgley (1), Sebinasi Dzikiti (2), Theresa Volschenk (3), Elmi Lötze (1), Mark Gush (2) 1 Department of Horticultural Science, Stellenbosch University 2 Council…
On 12 September 2019, SATI and the ARC with the involvement of soil scientists from institutions/companies who support the table grape industry presented a “Root Safari”. The purpose of the Root Safari was to see what root systems must look…
JOHAN VAN ZYL and EDUARD HOFFMAN from the Soil Science Department, Stellenbosch University, authored a newly published book titled Soil preparation for peak and sustainable grapevine performance. This is the first of a two-part series where they highlight aspects related…