Maize is one of the most important summer crops produced in South Africa, since white maize is one of our main dietary staples and yellow maize is the primary energy source in feed rations used for poultry and dairy production.
Most of South Africa’s maize is produced in the summer rainfall area, with the Free State usually accounting for half of the total volumes produced, depending on climatic and market conditions, followed by the North West and Mpumalanga.
Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal also produce substantial volumes.
Fall armyworm is a native of Central and South America that feeds on leaves and stems of more than eighty plant species, causing major damag...
Here is a list of the predominant insect pests of maize with which maize farmers have grapple. Various other pests also occur that may also ...
This leaf diseases on maize is a fungal disease that occurs in most of South Africa’s maize producing areas. Symptoms start with lesions u...
Maize is the primary feedstock ingredient in animal feeds in South Africa. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)...
Two types of maize are produced for maize cultivation, namely white and yellow maize. Most of the white maize is used for human consumption,...
Maize disease are primarily caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses, which can affect different parts of the plant, from the roots to the cob...
Fertilisation is one of the biggest costs of maize production. Farmers generally base their fertilisation decisions on the targeted yield in...
Most of South Africa’s maize is propagated from hybrid seed, of which roughly eighty-five percent are biotech, also known as genetically m...
More uses of maize includes starch and glucose manufacturing industries consume about 650 000 tons of the 10 million to 12 million tons of ...
Pest management in maize production includes, Locusts that are one of the world’s most notorious agricultural pests, with swarms eating ev...
The impact of rodents on maize production is often overlooked, but they may cause production losses of up to fifteen percent on smallholder ...
Various types of rot rotting diseases in maize exist that may affect the lower stem or spaces between maize kernels. Rot is usually caused b...
Maize is used as staple food for the majority of the country’s households and the most important livestock feed ingredient in South Africa...