Because of the huge variation in climatic conditions, field crop production in South Africa may be divided into two main categories, namely summer crops and winter cereals.
The most important summer crops are maize, soybeans, sunflower seed, groundnuts and sorghum, which are produced in the summer rainfall regions.
The most important winter cereals are wheat, malting barley and canola.
Wheat is produced throughout the country, but the Western Cape, which falls in the winter rainfall region, accounts for almost half the area under production and is in effect the biggest contributor to the overall production.
Although buckwheat was extensively planted in South Africa a few decades ago, it has since diminished in favour of other crops that can prov...
Although canola is a summer crop in temperate and cool parts of the world, it is primarily produced as a winter crop in South Africa. The We...
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Cotton is a versatile fibre crop and the most widely used natural fibre. It is not only used in textiles such as clothing, towels and beddin...
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The timing of pre-emergent herbicide applications depends on the type of tillage used. On farms where conventional tillage is used, herbicid...
In South Africa, quinoa research and development is overseen by the NuGrain Consortium which consists of industry, academic, government and ...
After harvesting, farmers can store their grain at co-operation silos to sell cereal crops at a time when prices are better. The cost of sto...
Rust is a fungal disease in small grain affects both yield and crop quality, with the severity of damage depending on environmental condit...
Stone ground flour is nothing new, but dates back to ancient Egyptian times when grains were crushed with a stone mortar or with a saddle st...
Summer crops in South Africa are crops that grow during summer and are harvested during the winter period. Most summer crops are staple food...
In South Africa weeds need to be managed carefully to prevent them from causing production losses, by overshadowing your crop and competing ...
Jan van Riebeeck planted South Africa’s first wheat in 1652, with original varieties brought in by trading vessels travelling between Euro...
The most important winter cereals in South Africa are wheat, canola and malting barley, with the majority of these produced in the winter ra...