The provincial department of agriculture, rural development, land and environmental affairs in Mpumalanga has warned farmers this week to be on the lookout for damages to their tomato crops.
This, after small-scale farmers around Mkhuhlu near Hazyview reported apparent outbreaks of tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta) and late blight (Phytophthora infestans) which have wreaked havoc on their tomatoes.
The leafminer is a very destructive insect pest exclusively found on tomatoes, while late blight is a potentially devastating disease of tomato and potato, infecting the leaves, stems, tomato fruit and potato tubers.
In response to the outbreak, the department, in partnership with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), organised a farmers information session for upcoming producers this week, where the farmers received feedback on outbreak data in the Bohlabela region, information on how to identify the pest and disease, the safe use of chemicals, the importance of taking soil samples and ways to prevent future outbreaks.
Disease prevention
The department has had a few busy weeks, also conducting rabies vaccination campaigns and livestock information days.
This week, MEC Busi Shiba led an entourage going door to door in Daggakraal to encouraging pet owners to have their cats and dogs vaccinated against rabies.
Hundreds of dogs and cats in the area have been vaccinated since Wednesday, while some have been sterilised or castrated in a bid to control the dog population in the area.
Addressing over 400 locals who attended the World Rabies Day commemoration, Shiba said that Mpumalanga is winning the fight against the disease because of the absence of any reported cases in the province and vaccination campaigns further reducing risk.
The MEC nonetheless encouraged anyone scratched or bitten by a dog or cat to seek immediate attention.
Livestock and crop farmer information days
At a separate event, livestock farmers in the Bushbuckridge area attended a farmers’ information day organised by the province’s veterinary services chief directorate. Farmers not only learned about livestock markets and associated legal requirements but also about diseases like lumpy skin disease and foot-and-mouth disease and how they can be prevented.
The department also partnered with the ARC earlier in September to educate farmers on issues like stock management plans, value chain analyses, the importance of using an abattoir for slaughtering, good hygiene and biosecurity plans, and preventing economically important diseases.
This, while vegetable farmers in Sundra got the chance to get invaluable tips on how to practice conservation agriculture in open fields, under nets and in tunnels.
Farmers received information on the value of maintaining healthy soil, the importance of taking soil samples for analysis before planting any type of crop and to better understand the soil structure to obtain healthy plant growth.
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