By Grethe Bestbier A facility at Welgevallen Experimental Farm in Stellenbosch is buzzing with life. Here, thousands of moths, worms, flies and other insects are bred every year to ensure that the industry has somewhere to turn to for applied…
Hortgro recently joined an international dialogue hosted by Stellenbosch’s Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) and members of a Global Convening Working Group on Just Transitions in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Just Transitions in AMR are about finding solutions…
Members of Hortgro Science’s entomological team visited the Langkloof area in April to follow up on damage to pears possibly caused by sucking insects. Matthew Addison, Crop Protection Programme Manager, and Dr Minette Karsten, a researcher in applied entomology, met…
South Africa’s deciduous fruit industry was well represented at the recent IOBC-WPRS Integrated Protection of Fruit Crops meeting held in Wageningen, Netherlands, from 14–18 September 2025. The event brought together experts from 19 countries to exchange knowledge on integrated pest…
Get it identified at Blue Bug Diagnostic Service. By Anna Mouton Effective pest control starts with knowing exactly what you are fighting. Incorrect assessment of the cause of damage can lead to expensive errors in pest management. This risk is…
In an innovative move for plant and insect diagnostics, the Plant Disease Clinic Stellenbosch (PDC) and Bluebug Insect Diagnostic Services have officially merged as of March 2025. The newly unified service will continue to operate under the name PDC Stellenbosch,…
The South African deciduous fruit industry proudly announces the launch of a Centre of Excellence dedicated to advancing pest monitoring and safeguarding the future of the industry. This new initiative, spearheaded by industry association Hortgro, addresses the increasing challenges posed…
By Matthew Addison PSHB is a top priority at Hortgro, and with respect to the progress made on the PSHB programme the following points are relevant: The PSHB workgroup met, and several priorities were listed. The proposed research group has…
FRESH NOTES 222: Update of Restricted Agricultural Remedies and Implementation of Pest Control Operators (PCOs) Hortgro acknowledges the concerns of fruit producers regarding the recent implementation of the Regulations relating to Agricultural Remedies and Pest Control Operator (PCO) regulations. These…