By Grethe Bestbier For Dr Esmé Louw, newly appointed chair of the Stellenbosch University Department of Horticultural Science, the chance to make a real and tangible impact in the industry is just one of the things that excite her about…
Life realises itself in unexpected ways. Caro Kapp’s PhD journey is true to that. By Kyra Rensburg “In high school, I didn’t think I was smart, so I wasn’t planning on studying hefty degrees at university. I applied to do…
By Minette Karsten The 23rd Congress of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa (ESSA) took place in Stellenbosch between 12 and 14 July 2023. The congress was organised by a team of entomologists at Stellenbosch University (Profs. Pia Addison, John…
Despite all the technological advances of the past century, there is one basic thing that people have simply not yet managed to learn: to wash their hands. Diseases and germs will not spread so widely if people can only start…
The state-of-the-art controlled atmosphere (CA) facility at Stellenbosch University’s Horticultural Sciences’ celebrated its first birthday this year. The CA facility was made possible through an industry donation by Hortgro Pome who made the investment of R2.5m last year and aims…
By Engela Duvenage Dr Elke Crouch, newly appointed Postharvest Physiology Research Chair in Deciduous Fruit at Stellenbosch University (SU), unequivocally loves her work in the fruit industry. For one, it allows her to work closely with people who have over…
A graduate of the first Hortgro industry leadership programme talks about climate change and modelling and shares her reflections on the programme. By Anna Mouton. Hortgro launched its industry leadership programme in 2022 to expose the next generation of industry…
Procuring academic excellence to solve industry problems A team from Hortgro recently met with Stellenbosch University (SU) Rector, Prof Wim de Villiers, and his senior management team to align the strategic goals of both parties. Hortgro’s current investment in research…
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…
By Kara van der Berg Hortgro’s Dr Xolani Siboza’s first MScAgric student, Dian Craven, graduated from Stellenbosch University on 4 April. Dr Siboza is a Hortgro-seconded researcher in the Department of Horticultural Science at Stellenbosch University where Craven conducted his study…
Hortrgro’s newly formed Economic Development Committee is gearing up to take transformation in the deciduous fruit industry to new heights. These are interesting times. By Gerrit Rautenbach Cynthia Mahlathi looks you square in the eye when talking to you. And…
Post-harvest expert Dr Cheryl Lennox discusses the challenges facing the industry and her vision for the Department. Dr Cheryl Lennox completed her PhD in plant pathology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal before first joining Stellenbosch University in 1991. In 1995,…