CROPS - How to improve growing conditions

If your crop yields seem lower than normal or you've seen a drop in quality, take a careful look at the factors that affect plant growth, such as temperature, sunlight, irrigation, soil health, and your choice of cultivar.

Some of the factors that influence plant growth, such as rainfall, temperature, and sunlight, are largely beyond our control. Others, such as the choice of cultivar and the condition of the soil, can be controlled up to a point. How we work with all these factors will determine the success of our harvest.

Here are some of the key growth factors that can help you improve crop yield.

GENETICS

Plants react to the environment according to their genetic makeup. The only way to change the genetic makeup at the farm level is to choose different varieties or change the crop type.

To find the best variety of crop for your farm, test at least five separate varieties throughout the year over five years. This will give you an indication of the long-term reaction of each variety to your environment and farming style. Choosing a variety based on one year's evaluation is not good enough.

Some crops, such as tomatoes, can only be grown in the right season. Others, such as spinach, grow throughout the year. Crops such as spinach should therefore be tested in each season to see which variety grows best during that time.

CLIMATE

Climate is the most important factor that influences plant growth. To put it simply, about 95% of the sun's radiation that lands on a plant ends up heating it, and the plant releases this heat through water evaporation. A plant uses only about 5% of the sun's radiation for photosynthesis.