Nature-friendly farming reduces costs for potato farmer

Managing plant health and strict water monitoring have paved the way to success for AL 3 Boerdery in Dendron, Limpopo. CT van der Merwe spoke to Lindi Botha about the production practices that keep his farming business profitable.

Potato production at AL 3 Boerdery is spread across three provinces to ensure a 10-month supply to the markets. Farms in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape provide an annual harvest of between 55 000t and 60 000t, and achieve an average yield of 60t/ha.

The main cultivar grown is Valor, and limited quantities of Georgina, Taisiya, Lanorma, Mondeo, Panamera and Mondial are also produced.

CT van der Merwe, CEO of AL 3 Boerdery, says that it is important to stay up to date with new cultivars on the market, and he therefore plants small quantities of different varieties to test their performance.

soil health

The key to successful potato production, he stresses, is to maintain soil health. He thus rests the land between crops.

“Because it’s so hot and dry in Dendron [in Limpopo], we have the advantage that diseases tend to abate more quickly. However, we struggle to keep

350mm of rain annually, so we focus on capturing as much of it as possible.”

The farm makes use of centre pivots, of which half have been converted to draglines. These result in less water evaporation, in turn reducing the amount of water required; this has cut the farm’s water and electricity costs by 30% and 45% a year respectively.

Van der Merwe says that the very high level of sodium in the water is a major challenge, as irrigating applies up to 700kg/ha of sodium to the crops.

There is also a shortage of magnesium in the soil in various locations, causing a problem with potassium and calcium uptake in the plants that cannot easily be fixed.

“Consequently, we’ve started adding gypsum through the irrigation system after drying out the soil a bit. This binds the sulphate with the sodium, so it leaches the sodium out and the calcium remains in the soil.”

Seed potatoes

According to Van der Merwe, 90% of a potato farmer’s success is based on the quality of seed. For this reason, AL 3 Boerdery grows its own seed in partnership with Richtersveld Growers in Alexander Bay, who multiplies the seed from a G0 to a G3.

“Buying in seed can be risky as it’s often old or immature. We have to stick to our planting programme, so we can’t wait for seed to arrive or wait for it to mature if it arrives immature. Producing our own seed also gives us control over quality.

“The seed potatoes are harvested as required, ensuring that they arrive on the farm at the optimal time. They need to rest for eight weeks between being harvested and being planted. Planting seed potatoes that have matured for 16 weeks, for example, produces inferior plants as they lose too much vigour.”

• Email CT van der Merwe at info@al3.co.za.