In the realm of agriculture, innovation often takes the form of developing new crop varieties through traditional breeding techniques. Dr Lukeshni Chetty, general manager of Sansor, highlights the innovation within South Africa's seed market, particularly with crops like butternut, enabling farmers to cultivate food sustainably amidst climate adversities. The inception of agriculture marked the beginning of crop improvement, a tradition that continues to address the growing demand for food and adapt to the challenges posed by climate change. At the core of this agricultural journey is the seed, the fundamental unit of crop production.
South Africa boasts a sophisticated and competitive seed sector, providing farmers access to innovative, high-quality, and certified seeds. This facilitates the adaptation to contemporary agricultural challenges. Butternut, a staple in South African diets, traditionally thrives in warm seasons, limiting its cultivation to summer months without greenhouse infrastructure. However, seed companies have bred new butternut varieties suitable for the autumn and winter seasons in the Northern and Western Cape provinces.
These varieties have demonstrated high yields in colder, wetter conditions with minimal protection, such as frost covers. Moreover, these new strains exhibit enhanced resistance to powdery mildew, a common affliction in squash cultivation, extending the domestic production window and potentially benefiting subsistence farmers.
Source: foodformzansi.co.za