Farmer’s Weekly – 23 August 2019

(Kiana) #1
Thislocallydeveloped,dual-purpose meat and white
woolbreedthrivesin semi-aridregions.

Foliar sprays of calcium nitrate
can be used to supply calcium.
Magnesium may also be deficient
in acid soil, in light soil, or in soil
very high in potassium. To rectify
the problem, spray the plants
with magnesium at 5kg/ha.
Cabbage is highly susceptible
to molybdenum deficiency.
As soon as you notice signs of
this, spray the plants with 125g
sodium or ammonium molybdate
per 500ℓ water per hectare.
To increase the availability
of molybdenum, provide
enough lime before planting.
Iron may be applied with
a foliar spray containing 1%
iron sulphate or chelate. An
iron deficiency is common on
calcareous, alkaline soils.
Manganese deficiency often
occurs in soil with a pH of more
than 5,5. Use a foliar spray of
manganese sulphate at a rate of
5kg/ha, or manganese oxide at
2kg/ha to 3kg/ha, as soon as you
see symptoms of deficiency.
There may be a boron deficiency
if the area has high rainfall; use
Solubor at 3kg/ha to rectify this.



  • Irrigation
    Irrigate cabbage immediately
    after sowing or transplanting.
    Thereafter, irrigate at intervals of 10
    to 12 days in heavy soil, or eight
    days in light soil, until the heads
    are fully developed and firm.
    Young plants should receive
    enough water for vegetative
    growth before forming
    heads. Excess moisture after
    theheadshaveformedmay
    causethemtocrack.

  • Weedcontrol
    Weeds can be controlled
    mechanically or by hand, as
    well as by applying herbicides.
    Carry out mechanical cultivation
    during land preparation until
    the plants are about half-grown.
    The first cultivation should
    be done two to three weeks
    after transplanting.

  • Source: ‘Production guidelines for
    cabbage’, Directorate Agricultural
    Information Services.

  • Retrieved from http://www.nda.
    agric.za/docs/Brochures/
    ProdGuideCabbage.pdf. ▪FW


Sheep

SA Mutton Merino


Originallyknownasthe
GermanMuttonMerino,
thefirstsheepwereimported
fromGermanyin 1932 by
thedepartmentofagriculture
fora breedingprogramme.
Therequirementwasfora
sheepforthewinterrainfall
areasthatcouldutilisewinter
grazing,lambinautumn,
andrearthelambsquickly
formarketbeforethe
grazingdeterioratedinthe
drysummermonths.
CrosseswithMerinoewes
yieldedlambswithgood
carcassqualities.By1946,
therewerea numberofprivate
breeders,anda German
Merinomeatsheepbreeders’
associationwasfounded.
TheSAMuttonMerinowas
developedthroughselection
forbetterwoolqualityand
conformation.Theuniqueness
oftheSouthAfricanbreed
wasrecognisedin 1971 when
thebreednamewaschanged
totheSAMuttonMerino.

Description
The SA Mutton Merino is a
large-framed breed with a

fleece of pure white wool, free
of kemp and coloured fibres.
Rams and ewes are polled. The
breed produces good-quality
wool with an average fibre
diameter of 21 to 23 microns.
Ewes produce an average
of 3,4kg of wool, while
ramsproduce4,5kg.

proDuctionnorms
The breed puts on fat at a later
age and can be slaughtered
at a heavier live weight.
Fat is distributed evenly
over the carcass. Lamb
carcasses of 27kg are still
classed as A2 or A3. White
wool is medium to strong,
and over-crimped.
The breed is also used for
sire lines in crossbreeding
programmes, and produces
heavy crossbred lambs.
The breed has contributed to
the development of the Afrino,
Dohne Merino and Dormer
sheep breeds, among others.


  • Source: Snyman, MA. 2014.
    ‘South African sheep breeds:
    Suffolk sheep’. Info-pack ref.
    2014/029, Grootfontein Agricultural
    DevelopmentInstitute. ▪FW


23 August 2019 farmer’sweekly 41

ABOVE:
While not a true
land race, the SA
Mutton Merino was
developed through
selection for better
wool quality and
conformation.
FW ARCHIVE
Free download pdf