When Retief du Toit joined the family farm, Bokveldskloof, in the Koue Bokkeveld in 1992, he and his father, Pierre, decided to start an apple nursery as a sideline business. Unfortunately, this venture never really took off, as there were too many other responsibilities that needed more urgent attention.
Du Toit went on to become one of ZZ2's farming partners, and in 2013, he and other growers in Ceres visited Italy to see how farmers there were producing apples. What they learnt was that the South African apple industry needed a serious overhaul in order to remain competitive.
"South African growers might be leaders in nutrition and disease and water management, but back then we were lagging when it came to the planting of trees at higher densities," he recalls.
"While some of our growers were pushing the boundary with spaces of up to 1,2m between plants, the Europeans were going as narrow as 0,8m."
ROOTSTOCK SHORTAGE
South African farmers' attempts to determine whether these narrower planting spaces would work under production conditions here were held back by a shortage of suitable rootstocks. Du Toit, for one, could only get enough M9 dwarfing rootstocks to plant 0,5ha of trees in 2014.
He explains that dwarfing rootstocks were not readily available in South Africa at the time, as most farmers thought they were unsuited to the country's climatic conditions. However, demand skyrocketed when this notion was dispelled once growers started seeing and experiencing the positive spin-offs of ultra-high-density plantings.
"Dwarfing rootstocks result in less vegetative growth, enabling the trees to be planted closer together than those on vigorous rootstocks. The latter also requires intensive annual pruning, manipulation, and fruit thinning to improve light penetration, whereas trees on dwarfing rootstocks need only slight tweaks once a year."
This story is from the May 27 2022 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 27 2022 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
R17m donation of tractors, bulls and infrastructure
Small-scale farmers in KwaZulu-Natal have been given an opportunity to grow into sustainable commercial businesses through a holistic integrated programme that will provide mechanisation, infrastructure and sector expertise.
Top dairy products revealed
Lactalis South Africa has won the South African Dairy Product of the Year Award for six of the past eight years. This year it won with a 10-month-old Gouda made especially for Woolworths.
Poor waste management highlighted on Earth Day
Most of South Africa’s waste ends up in dumps, if not strewn across open spaces or littering streams and oceans.
Kenya hosts soil health summit
The health of African soil was discussed at length by gathering of experts, writes Jeff Kapembwa.
Report shows the impact that heat has on agricultural workers
The UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) recently released a report showing the impact of climate change on the health of workers.
Braaied meat and soft-boiled egg Thai salad
This salad with maize, peanuts and eggs will turn leftover braai meat into a completely different meal. Recipe and photo: South African Poultry Association.
The importance of planning
Planning goes hand in glove with good recordkeeping.
Dealing with spear thistle
Tokozwayo Sive, a production scientist who specialises in pasture science at Animal Production Improvement Research and Development at the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, suggests ways to control an invasion of spear thistle.
Seek and destroy: bio-soldiers for healthy crops
Bio-controls are an increasingly favoured method of dealing with crop pests as they provide a long-term solution to farmers that does not negatively impact market access. Lindi Botha reports on how bio-controls should be approached for maximum success.
The Constitution: bedrock of democracy
Richard Calland, an associate professor in Public Law at the University of Cape Town, explains how, despite South Africa's Constitution having been challenged for the past 30 years, it has held firm.