Theunis Meiring, area sales manager at Syngenta, spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel about the importance of early weed control in summer crops. Meiring explains why the period before and immediately after crop emergence is critical for protecting yield potential, and discusses application timing, herbicide resistance, seedbed preparation, and integrated weed-management strategies.

As South African grain farmers contend with increasingly variable production conditions, locally tested genetics are becoming ever more important. Driaan Bresler of Corteva Agriscience, shares his knowledge about developing and testing technologies to help farmers maintain yields and build resilience under shifting field conditions.

The South African Cultivar and Technology Agency (SACTA) welcomed various role players in the South African seed industry at the Annual Stakeholder Engagement Meeting (ASEM) in Pretoria. Farmer’s Weekly attended the session filled with conversations and expert insights focused on shaping the future of the seed sector and research investment.

A field may look uniform, but the soil beneath it rarely is. Soil texture, nutrient status, water-holding capacity, and yield potential can vary from one zone to another. When every hectare is treated the same, some zones may not receive enough support, while others may receive more input than they need.

From crops that can better withstand extreme weather to varieties that stay fresher for longer or require fewer inputs, plant breeding is undergoing a technological revolution. Advanced sensors, big data, and precision gene editing are giving breeders powerful new tools to develop the next generation of crops.

At an average of 2,5t/ha, South Africa’s soya bean yields lag behind those of major producers like the US, at 4t/ha, and Brazil, at 3,2t/ha, partly due to limited access to genetics. But record yields in this year’s Grain SA Grow for Gold National Yield Competition suggest significant room for further gains.