Life and business partners Gary Farr and Lindy Anderson are avid proponents of regenerative agriculture. Apart from researching it, they conduct field trials of its concepts on their smallholding in the rural Lidgetton area of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. In addition, their business, Regenerative Agriculture Specialization, markets products to help farmers build up healthy soils to grow crops profitably and sustainably.
Farr and Anderson stress the importance of farmers and other soil cultivators encouraging the development of fungal mycorrhizae if they want healthy soils. According to the New York Botanical Garden: “Mycorrhizae are symbiotic relationships that form between fungi and plants. The fungi colonise the root system of a host plant, providing increased water and nutrient absorption capabilities, while the plant provides the fungus with carbohydrates formed from photosynthesis.”
In the study, ‘Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi as natural biofertilizers: Let’s benefit from past successes’ (2016), researchers at the National Research Council of Italy’s Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection write that mycorrhizal fungi exchange mutual benefits with about 80% of the world’s land plants.
COMPLEX, FUNGI-DOMINATED SOILS
Farr explains that early on in the Earth’s development, bacteria emerged from the oceans to begin breaking down the solid rock that was the origin of land as we now know it. By converting the rock into tiny particles, the bacteria also released minerals from it. These basic prehistoric soils eventually led to the development of simple green plants that could photosynthesise.
この記事は Farmer's Weekly の August 28, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Farmer's Weekly の August 28, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
