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Pests and illnesses trigger main crop losses worldwide and South Africa is no exception, as pathways for brand new pests to enter beforehand pest-free environments develop. Healthy crops have higher immunity and are much less inclined to assaults from pests and illnesses. That is why plant health ought to be a precedence in any crop safety marketing campaign.
The prevention and management of pests, weeds and illnesses maintain infestations and invasions to a minimal, keep wholesome crops and translate to sustainable crop farming and the survival of agribusiness.
“Plants under stress are very susceptible to diseases but many plant diseases are preventable,” says Lemang Agricultural Services CEO Praveen Dwarika. He advises farmers to have efficient monitoring and scouting programmes in place and to organize their chemical spraying programmes in good time.
“This year we had a different season with the rains, and a lot of farmers switched from maize to sunflowers because of the delayed planting window,” he says. These farmers needed to adapt their spraying programmes to suit the wants of the brand new crop, as that they had completely different pests and illnesses to handle.
Food security consciousness and care of the atmosphere should stay within the foreground and farmers are accountable for guaranteeing the security of the merchandise they use, Dwarika explains. An built-in strategy to pest and illness administration entails a variety of strategies – monitoring, expertise, mechanical strategies, chemical substances, crop rotation, organic controls, disease-resistant plant varieties, alteration of planting dates, mulching, constructing soil health and soil moisture – to make sure plant health and maintain illnesses at bay.
“It’s wise to follow the advice of chemical companies on the use of various chemicals and stick to their recommendations,” he says.
Farmers might have to maintain fields freed from crop residue, as biomass on the fields can change into a breeding floor for some pests and illnesses. “There is a good chance that diseases are still present and the newly planted crop is vulnerable at emergence. So it is important to maintain disease- and weed-free fields,” Dwarika cautions. An rapid response to any pest or illness risk, identification of the risk, and motion to isolate and eradicate the risk are key steps to preserving crops wholesome.
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