Farmers urged to adhere to proper crop management practices

MOST of the winter wheat crop in Matabeleland region has reached the reproductive stage amid calls by the Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) for farmers to adhere to proper crop management practices so as to realise maximum yields.

Matabeleland North Agritex provincial agronomist, Mr Davison Masendeke said the province’s wheat crop was at various stages of growth.

Matabeleland North Province had 166,8 hectares put under winter wheat this year with the Agriculture Rural Development Authority (Arda) Jotsholo Estate contributing a total of 150 hectares.

The area cropped under wheat this year increased from the 131 hectares achieved last year. “About 100 hectares of our wheat is at the flowering stage, followed by 50 hectares, which is at hard dough stage while the rest is at emergence, booting and establishment stage,” said Mr Masendeke.

He urged farmers who planted their crop late to come up with an effective weed management programme to ensure undisturbed growth of their wheat.“For those that cropped late and have their crop at the emergence and establishment stage, it is critical for them to do weed management using herbicides, which it advisable than using implements since the wheat is clustered.

Farmers should also ensure that they should top dress their crop using ammonium nitrate or urea three weeks after the emergence stage.“Weed control management should continue for the crop, which is at shooting stage while it is also important to scout for pests and diseases. The weeding continues for the one at flowering stage and if the area has a prevalence of quelea birds farmers should get in touch with authorities for quelea management,” said Mr Masendeke said.

This year farmers from the province’s prime farming area of Umguza district did not grow wheat citing low producer price. “Farmers in Umguza didn’t grow wheat because of its low viability.

Most farmers said wheat producer price was very low compared to the price of inputs and as a result the gross margins were minimal hence them shunning the crop.

One can only get meaningful returns upon increasing the hectarage put under the crop with the minimum being 10 hectares,” Mr Masendeke said. Matabeleland South provincial Agritex officer, Mr Judia Ncube said most of the province’s wheat was at vegetative stage.

The province realised a massive increase of the area put under wheat this year, with over 1500 hectares being cropped against an area of 800 hectares that was cultivated last year.

The two Arda Estates in the province namely Ingwizi and Maphisa contributed 90 percent of the wheat that was cropped in the province this year. “Most of the wheat is at the vegetative stage with all that was planted having germinated, the early one is at the tillering stage and at this time we urge the farmers to adhere to the requisite water requirements of the crop but all this is determined on how they are doing their watering schedule,” said Mr Ncube.