Hugh Campbell, Hortgro technical and plant improvement manager shares some of the most pertinent questions about plant improvement and its necessity for sustainable growth. What is plant improvement? Plant improvement is a continuous process that aims to produce better fruit…
She steps down in December but her contributions to dormancy research will continue to help pome- and stone-fruit growers negotiate climate change for many years to come. By Anna Mouton. Western Cape winters are getting warmer and the application of…
Many moons ago De Fynne nursery was in its nursery school stage in a backyard. It relocated to a property in Simondium but soon they outgrew that too before moving to Mooikelder Farm where they inherited a substantial plum orchard…
Apple rootstock G.969 is a yield efficient, semi-dwarfing rootstock that according to the Cornell Geneva apple rootstock breeding programme is resistant to fire blight, crown rot, and woolly apple aphid. It is classified as having similar to slightly less vigour…
The Western Cape might be the country’s biggest apple-producing region, but many of the trees come from far away. Gerrit Rautenbach visited the Caledon Valley Nursery near Ficksburg in the Eastern Free State to establish why. Way back in 1989…
The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and the South African Deciduous Fruit Industry formed a joint venture to commercialise the ARC-bred plum cultivars discussed below. Over the past decade, Culdevco Pty Limited has established itself as a major player in the…