Posts

The Rhizosphere: A key player in nutrient accessibility and plant stress resilience

Reading Time: 5 minutes

The rhizosphere represents a fascinating and complex system, which plays a crucial role in the functioning of the soil ecosystem and the health of plants. This zone is characterized by an intricate web of biological, chemical, and physical interactions between the plant, the soil microorganisms, and the soil itself. One of the key functions of the rhizosphere is to facilitate nutrient uptake by plants, by enhancing the availability and accessibility of nutrients in the soil. Another important role of the rhizosphere is to mitigate plant stress, by providing a range of protective and supportive functions. Understanding the mechanisms underlying nutrient cycling and stress response in the rhizosphere can help us to develop more sustainable and efficient agricultural practices, which can improve soil fertility and plant productivity, while minimizing environmental impact.

Measuring for irrigation efficiency

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The case study was aimed at finding opportunities for pasture-based farmers to use water more efficiently by the installation of water meters on centre pivots, which accurately measured how much was water is used for irrigation.

Earthworm on hand

How healthy are South African pasture-based dairy soils?

Reading Time: 7 minutes

We have a huge database of soil results from many pasture-based dairy farms throughout the coastal region of South Africa. I thought it might be interesting to have a look at some of the trends that can be seen from this database.

Understanding evapotranspiration better

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Transpiration depends on evaporation, therefore factors affecting the rate of evaporation also affect the rate of transpiration.

Soil fungi connections

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Soil fungi increase security, awareness, and knowledge for those connected to them. Any soil management action that results in the breakage of these connections, such as tillage and fungicides, destroys the entire nerve system of the soil thus isolating plants and soil organisms from each other.

Hands in soil

What is soil that works for you?

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Attaining soils that are working for you is a process. It starts with figuring out where your soils currently are. This will determine the next steps.

Healthy soils

Minimise soil disturbance and build soil health.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Physical soil disturbances are a well-documented and well-understood concept; however, we underestimate the disturbances that result from chemical and biological processes.

feature image

Understanding the black gold of the earth – humus.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Humus is a stabilized fraction of organic matter and is a general term referring to a heterogeneous mixture of different humic substances.

Farmers who focus on soil health are happier

Reading Time: 3 minutes

One of the pillars of sustainability is social welfare. An aspect of social welfare that I think receives little focus is the well-being of farmers.

Dealing with the weed problem

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Weeds are a real nuisance. Dealing with them can be a mission. Read this blog to explore how to tackle this issue on your farm.