1/4 Farmers in the Lowveld, this is your chance to reap the benefits of horticulture. Because of the perfect winter temperatures, crops such as butternut, fine beans, tomatoes, watermelon, and peppers can be grown in open fields. Such crops cannot be grown in open fields in the 2/4 Highveld during the winter due to low temperatures and frost. You have an edge over the competition because of your perfect winter conditions. It hurts us that you aren't capitalizing on the competitive advantage that your favorable climate provides. We wish we had the same

1/13 Tomato trellising and Pruning. The wet overcast conditions and low light intensity of the 2020-2021 rainy season has highlighted problems with trellising and pruning tomatoes. Loss of yield in tomatoes because of incorrect trellising was widespread, especially with the big 2/13 fast growing, high yielding long lasting varieties like Trinity, Star 9037 but determinate varieties like Star 9009,9011 were also affected. The objectives of trellising and pruning are manifold. Trellising significantly cuts down on harvesting loss, hail damage and sunburn

1/4The horticultural farming landscape is dynamic. During my visit in Midlands and Matebeleland Provinces, I saw that a lot of people are getting an interest in horticulture. The major limiting factor in Matebeleland is water, most boreholes are drying out quickly. We are hoping 2/4 for good rains this year, so that it can improve the water table. The farmers in Nyamandlovu are doing quite well because they have enough water. The pictures above is an example of adopting to good agronomic practices. Mr Dhlaminiof Nyamandlovu grew 5 million plants of Onion

1/6 Charter Seeds/Starke Ayres Sweetcorn, ready for the future. The Starke Ayres sweetcorn breeding program was started in the early 1990's.It has grown from very humble beginnings to the success it is today! The world class varieties produced from the program 2/6 quickly became popular with both local and international producers. The sweetcorn success story continues to the present day and is a long way from finished. Growers generally favour a strong plant with good disease resistance and a high yield potential. Supermarkets and

1/13The Importance of Good Soil Tilth To The Horticulturist. By creating morden day hybrid vegetable varieties with enormous yield potential.Plant breeders have completely changed the nature of soil science in horticulture. Morden horticultural varieties are bred for many reason 2/13 but are all capable of exceptionally high yields. If the grower gets it right, with the right varieties he can achieve marketable yields of epic proportions. Commensurate with record breaking yields is a very high rate of plant metabolism for much longer periods than in the

1/8 Soil requirements for tomatoes. A very high level of soil fertility is required for the profitable production of a successful tomato crop. The quality and quantity of tomato fruits are of crucial importance and are greatly influenced by the fertility and nutrient levels of 2/8 the soil. Tomatoes will grow moderately well over a wide range of soil types. However certain criteria have to be satisfied in terms of the soil structure and content to make it commercially viable. These factors include: Nutrient composition, Compaction, Effective soil depth

1/5 Transplanting seedlings. The farmer should bear in mind the following when transplanting seedlings. Firstly the seedlings must be transplanted and watered as soon as possible after it has been obtained from the nursery. Seedlings should be placed vertically into the ground 2/5 and not side ways.This is to avoid a condition known as "J rooting".This condition results in a J shaped root system that ultimately decreases yield up to 50% or more, the root doesn't develop well, when it survives it doesn't grow well The farmer should ensure that seedlings

1/8 SOME COMMON PITFALLS IN HORTICULTURE. 1.Poor choice of variety for the market, time of the year, day length and area. Lack of proper crop planning. 2.Badly planned rotations: Subsequent crops must not be in the same family or group of plants. 3.Poor site selection. Badly 2/8 drained soils. Gravely soils:The more stones/pebbles present the smaller is the water holding capacity of soil . To close to trees or buildings so the crops are shaded. Too steep a slope with excess run off of irrigation water. 4.Poor soil preparation. The soil must be porous

1/8 Green bean production. Green beans are an important crop for both the fresh and processing markets. For the fresh market segment uniformity, quality and general appearance are among the most important factors. For the processing market harvestability, a concentrated fruit set 2/8 and recovery play the most important roles. Some of these traits can be obtained by variety selection but a lot still depends on management and good farming practice. To achieve the desired result from a bean crop some basic steps must be followed to ensure that best yield

1/5 A famous chef once said that you need an entire life just to know tomatoes. This is even more true of those involved in producing the crop as new challenges seem to appear every year. Tuta absoluta has a high reproductive capacity with female moths laying up to 300 eggs at a 2/5 time . Generation cycles are short, up to 12 per year are possible. This means the danger of resistance to chemicals developing is increased. A spraying program that rotates chemical groups and modes of action is essential to prevent resistance build up. Tips on control.

1/8 Beware the thrips threat. The onion thrip, Thrips tabaci is considered to be the major insect pest of onions Bulb yield can be reduced up to 30% and the damage is compounded by if thrips infect the crop with Iris yellow spot virus, of which they are the main vector. 2/8 damage caused by thrips can also provide other pathogens with entry points. Thrips species have wide host ranges, feeding on both broadleaf and grass species. Thrips feed on the leaves of onion plants, causing white or silver lesions. High level infestations cause significant

1/4 Fruit cracks are very common, especially on normal round varieties. Cracking is a serious problem as cracked fruit are unmarketable. Cracking appears in one or two manners - radial cracks(radiating from the stem) and concentric cracks (usually on the shoulders).This 2/4 physiological symptom is associated with rapid fruit development and as with BER, fluctuations in water availability to the plant. When dry weather is followed by high temperatures and heavy rains, ripening fruits become very susceptible to fruit cracking. The internal

1/4 Blossom End Rot(BER) is one of the most commonly seen physiological disorders. It is caused by a calcium deficiency related to fluctuations in availability of water, specifically on developing fruits. It mostly found on the blossom end of the fruits, but can also appear on 2/4 the sides of developing fruits. Even though Blossom end rot only causes localised injuries, secondary pathogens invade the lesions and cause complete roting of the fruits. BER can be prevented by maintaining a steady rate of plant growth without stress. This is achieved by

1/9 Nutrient deficiencies in vegetable plants. Not all all problems in vegetable crops are caused by disease or insects. Sometimes unhealthy plant is suffering from a nutrient deficiency or even too much of a nutrient. Plant nutrient deficiencies are often manifested as foliage 2/9 discolouration or distortion. In order to correctly identify the nutrient deficiency, it is important to know what to look for on the plant foliage. Plants require a mix of nutrients to remain healthy. Nutrients that are needed in relatively large amounts are termed

1/7 Tomato is known to be a warm season crop. It can survive some cold, but it is not tolerant of very low temperatures. A top class tomato crop requires a stable temperature range with minimums and maximums not being too far apart. Wide temperature variation often results in 2/7 poor fruit quality or reduced yields. The minimum temperature is around 10°C with the maximum being 34°C.Optimum temperature is between 26 and 29°C.For optimal development of the tomato plant, a relative humidity between 65 and 85% is required. Higher relative humidity levels

Diamond back moth a menace. Diamond back moth(DBM)is one of the most damaging pests of Brassicas(Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli)Over one billion dollars are spent annually in the USA on its control. The diamond back moth probably originated in Europe and obtained its name from the diamond shaped markings formed when its wings are folded at rest. Each female can lay up to 200 eggs in her lifespan, which are found under the leaves near veins. Larvae hatch within a few days and feed on leaves and growing points causing the development of small useless

Field choice is essential to produce high quality carrots. Hydromorphic, very clayey or rocky soils must be avoided. Some imply high sanitary risk, others lead to important constraints to mechanization and cleaning. Here are the points to check out beforehand.Particles size analysis:Sandy and Sandy-loam soils will give very smooth, long and uniform roots. Their water specific retention is low and managing irrigation is not easy. On the contrary, heavier soils will give shorter but well coloured roots. Organic matter (OM): Excessive rates of OM can

Bulbing onion varieties are classified according to specific day length periods. Short day length require 10 to 12 hours of day length, Intermediate 12 to 14 hours and long day varieties requiring 14 or more hours of day length before bulbing is initiated. Short day length types are used throughout Zimbabwe. Temperature,light intensity and light quality can influence the onion bulbing response. High temperatures and bright days can compensate for some day length, causing onion to bulb sooner than they would otherwise. Overcast, cool temperatures delay

Top seedlings start with top seed.
The nursery industry in Zimbabwe plays an important and integral part in supplying the nation with vegetable seedlings. The quality of seedlings goes a long way in determining the success of any crop and is therefore of paramount importance. The type or variety of seed used is a major decision and seed suppliers play an important role in this. Any seedling grower has requirements of the seed supplier. It is not only the quality of the seed that it is important but also consistency of that quality.Problems arise

Tomato Pruning. Successful tomato farming is a balancing act between obtaining top yields of best quality fruit while keeping input costs to a minimum. Major world markets pay a premium for medium to large fruit with small fruit often being sold for less or not at all. Pruning of tomato plants is technique used to manage fruit size inorder to produce the maximum amount of fruit of the required grades. Not all varieties react well to pruning. The less vigorous, more determinate types tend to show slower growth, increased dormancy and malformed,poor quality

Rhizo Mic is a natural Bio Fungicide.Protects the plants through it's highly developed natural attributes. It protects the crops against most of the soil borne diseases but it also promotes the growth, resistance, yield production and general well being of the plants. Best solution against: Pythium sp, Fusarium sp, Phytophthora sp , Verticillium sp, Rhizoctonia sp. Beneficial Bacteria contained in the Rhizo Mic: Nitrogen fixation, Phosphorus solubilization, Antagonistic effect on pathogenic fungi, Induction of ISR(Induced Systemic Resistance)